Venezuelan Elections Test Chavez's Commitment to Democracy

By Stephen Kaufman

Venezuela's state and municipal elections on November 23 challenge President Hugo Chavez's government to show its commitment to democratic principles and provide the governing and opposition parties a chance to gauge the appeal of their programs to a population concerned with economic problems and security issues.

"Whoever wins in these state and gubernatorial elections has the obligation, at least at the state and local level, to deliver the tangible benefits of democracy to the Venezuelan people," said the State Department's Christopher McMullen. "Each election ... is a time to test [the] marketplace of political ideas."

McMullen, a deputy assistant secretary of state for Western Hemisphere affairs, told America.gov November 18 that the United States does not see the vote as a popular referendum on the policies of the Chavez government.

"The concerns of most people ... are looking through the lens of how to fix their daily lives in terms of the local and the state government's ability to deliver benefits to them," he said. "I know that the [Chavez] government has tried to make it a referendum but I don't think we necessarily see it that way."

McMullen said U.S. Embassy personnel would be among the international observers of the voting, along with representatives from the European Union, the Organization of American States (OAS) and other international organizations.

He expressed concern over the government's intimidation of opposition candidates, such as the disqualification of approximately 272 candidates in February on the grounds that they were facing corruption charges. This "caused concern in a lot of sectors - not just in the United States but in Europe - about the commitment of the government to free and fair elections," since it is critical to allow opposition candidates to compete and "any kind of coercion or intimidation or trumped-up charges obviously restricts the political space in which political parties are able to operate."

He added that recent rhetoric from the Chavez government against the opposition is "very worrisome." The government has insinuated that an opposition victory in key regional races would be seen as a threat to the government in Caracas. "Certainly, the intimidation of candidates has not suggested that it's going to be any more free of government coercion" than in previous votes, he said, and the threats "are not consistent with the Inter-American Democratic Charter which all countries, including Venezuela as part of the OAS, have signed up to."

The Obama administration, which assumes office in January 2009, will also be concerned with democratic rule in Venezuela, McMullen said. "I don't think [the Chavez government is] going to get a pass on anti-democratic behavior even though their approach to this issue may be somewhat more nuanced or different from" the Bush administration's approach.

MUTUAL COOPERATION NEEDED ON ENERGY, COMMERCE, DRUGS

Following President-elect Barack Obama's November 4 victory, the Chavez government stated that it wants a close relationship with the new administration. "We think that's a very good start," McMullen said, but "we think the rhetoric or the words have to be met with concrete actions."

The deputy assistant secretary outlined three areas of "mutual convergence" - energy, commercial activity and counternarcotics - on which Venezuela and the United States can work together "irrespective of our differences in the broader political issues."

The United States is Venezuela's major partner in terms of energy supplies, he said. "About 7 percent of our energy is derived from Venezuela, whereas well over half of Venezuelan oil goes to the U.S. market. So they have a vested interest" in the relationship, he said.

There is also $50 billion per year in bilateral U.S. trade with Venezuela, with $10 billion in U.S. exports and $40 billion imported from Venezuela. McMullen said it is in the interest of both countries to talk about "everything from airline issues, frequencies and routes to impediments to trade on both sides."

Narcotics trafficking is also an increasing threat to Venezuela's government and people. "We're seeing increasing signs of corruption and violence ... that have all the hallmarks of organized narco-trafficking groups taking root in the country," McMullen said. The traffickers "are not of any political persuasion," he said. They "potentially threaten any sovereign government. It doesn't matter whether they are right wing or left wing or centrist."

He expressed hope that there can be progress on all three areas between the two countries, but "if there's no political dialogue, no constructive dialogue, it's difficult to operate in that kind of ... hostile political environment."

Source: U.S. Department of State

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