Venezuela Says Over 8 Million Voted to Redraft Constitution but Count Is Disputed

[Dashinka 25,855]

Democratic Socialism in action.

 

 

By

Juan Forero,

Ryan Dube and

Ryan Dube

The Wall Street Journal

•  
• BiographyRyan Dube
• ryan.dube@wsj.com

Anatoly Kurmanaev

Anatoly Kurmanaev

The Wall Street Journal

•  
• BiographyAnatoly Kurmanaev
• anatoly.kurmanaev@wsj.com

Updated July 31, 2017 1:57 a.m. ET

18 COMMENTS

CARACAS, Venezuela—President Nicolás Maduro’s government said more than eight million people had voted Sunday to give his administration overwhelming powers to redraft the constitution, an outcome that opposition leaders called fraudulent and that the Trump administration said it wouldn’t recognize.

The results were announced on state television by Tibisay Lucena, head of the National Electoral Council, near midnight on Sunday, timing that minimized unrest in a country that has been whipsawed by antigovernment demonstrations. On a violent day of voting, the attorney general’s office said that 10 people were killed in clashes between protesters and the state security forces, for a total of 123 deaths since a steady stream of protests began in April in this tumultuous country of 31 million.

“Peace won. When peace wins, Venezuela wins,” said Ms. Lucena, summing up the vote. “It was a result that was so big, so surprising.”

 

Mr. Maduro, speaking to followers after the announcement, asserted that it was the best result obtained by the Socialist government in its 18 years in power, despite the country undergoing its deepest economic crisis ever, punctuated by food shortages and fast-rising poverty levels.

Leopoldo Lopez, a leading government opponent now under house arrest, had said, like other adversaries of Mr. Maduro, that the government would invent a high figure to better legitimize an election that seven in 10 Venezuelans opposed, according to polls. “Today, the greatest fraud in our history happens, illegitimate, unconstitutional, negated electorally in the midst of a brutal repression,” he said on his official Twitter account.

Mr. Maduro’s plans for the election—asking his supporters to choose the delegates for an assembly to write a new constitution that would give the government boundless powers—had drawn scorn from many Venezuelans and condemnation from governments in Europe and the Americas, including the U.S. The Trump administration had been considering options to increase the cost on the Maduro government, including a range of economic sanctions.

“We will continue to take strong and swift actions against the architects of authoritarianism in Venezuela,” Heather Nauert, a U.S. State Department spokeswoman, said Sunday night.

 

https://www.wsj.com/articles/venezuela-says-over-8-million-voted-for-constitutional-assembly-but-count-is-disputed-1501478446

[IAMX 3,055]

 

Democracy!

[Dashinka 25,855]

We keep hearing that we need to institute Democratic Socialism here in the US.  

[IAMX 3,055]

4 minutes ago, Bill & Katya said:

We keep hearing that we need to institute Democratic Socialism here in the US.  

Yes!

 

Don't forget harassing electors to change their vote from the way their state voted, stalling the certification in JC certification.

 

Left just loves Democracy.

Edited July 31, 2017 by IAMX

[Dashinka 25,855]

50 minutes ago, IAMX said:

Yes!

 

Don't forget harassing electors to change their vote from the way their state voted, stalling the certification in JC certification.

 

Left just loves Democracy.

Democratic Socialism, just another name for fascism.

 

[IAMX 3,055]

29 minutes ago, Bill & Katya said:

Democratic Socialism, just another name for fascism.

 

But I was told they hated fascism.. 

[Dashinka 25,855]

1 hour ago, IAMX said:

But I was told they hated fascism.. 

That is what they try to make everyone think.

 

[Póg mo 1,749]

Germany is doing pretty good, no?

[Póg mo 1,749]

2 hours ago, Bill & Katya said:

Democratic Socialism, just another name for fascism.

 

Of course, black is white, up is down, wet is dry, freedom is slavery...

[IAMX 3,055]

1 hour ago, Bill & Katya said:

That is what they try to make everyone think.

 

Indeed all while trying to shut up those who have dissenting opinions.

 

The lefty paradox.

[CaliCat 3,957]

2 hours ago, Póg mo said:

Of course, black is white, up is down, wet is dry, freedom is slavery...

Seems to be Trump's motto

 

 

 

[Dashinka 25,855]

14 hours ago, Póg mo said:

Of course, black is white, up is down, wet is dry, freedom is slavery...

So you agree Democratic Socialism is working quite well in Venezuela?

14 hours ago, Póg mo said:

Germany is doing pretty good, no?

Didn't the German people give up a lot of their rights to Brussels?

[IAMX 3,055]

1 hour ago, Bill & Katya said:

So you agree Democratic Socialism is working quite well in Venezuela?

Didn't the German people give up a lot of their rights to Brussels?

They'd give up their rights to Al Gore if they could. 

[Teddy B 17,252]

1 hour ago, Bill & Katya said:

So you agree Democratic Socialism is working quite well in Venezuela?

Didn't the German people give up a lot of their rights to Brussels?

I like brussel sprouts, but I heard they don't have them in Venezuela.

[Amica Nostra 4,803]

25 minutes ago, Teddy B said:

I like brussel sprouts, but I heard they don't have them in Venezuela.

not me But I like the waffles, can you believe has happened to Beligum