Peru's election (Chavez' loss)
06.06.2006Technorati tags: Peru election Hugo Chavez
In many ways, I think the election of Alan Garcia as president of Peru in Sunday's runoff election was rather predictable. After all, in a two-way race between a radical nationalist & a social-democrat populist, there wasn't much choice for anyone in the center or center-right other than to back Garcia. I was actually surpirsed Humala picked up as many votes as he did to make it a close contest.
But the election was also a loss for Chavez, who'd heavily endorsed Humala, a former coup-plotter. In many ways, Humala looked too much like Chavez. Both were colonels who attempted military coups & later ran for office. The close ties between Humala & Chavez suggested that Humala might take Peru in the same direction as Venezuela.
A problem, because it would increase the influence of Chavez in the region. The stunt might work w/ Bolivian voters (though it looks like it's losing its appeal there, too). But not Peruvian voters. Peru has no interest in being a Venezuelan vassal state. And Peruvians have the recent memory of Fujimori to show that a nationalist dictatorship isn't the way to go. Not to mention that many are slowly realizing that Venezuela is no socialist paradise.
More & more, people are starting to realize a little inconvenient truth: Chavez is not good for Venezuela. Sure, he rails against globalization, the excesses of capitalism, American imperialism, etc. But agreeing w/ Chavez assessments shouldn't translate into an endorsement of his means: curtailing civili liberties, eradicating political competition, dismantling economic society. In the end, Chavez is just another in a long line of populist Latin American dictators. That's not revolutionary, that's reactionary.
If you're railing against "the empire" you don't win points by simply anointing a new Caesar.
It's good to know that voters in Latin America are resisting the man who plans to be president until 2031.
Posted by Miguel at 11:27 AM