Bombs and Elections in Venezuela

A home-made bomb damaged a major Venezuelan pipeline today in the middle of an election for national legislators that has been boycotted by Chavez’ opponents.

Not much stands between Hugo Chavez and re-election for an additional term in office now that the boycotted elections for the legislative assembly would have given Chavez a large majority. The new Assembly is expected to remove from the constitution the two-term presidential limitation, effectively opening the path for Chavez to remain in power for as long as he wishes.

The opposition boycotted the vote after they determined a series of irregularities. But according to Chavez, the boycotting opposition are doing the bidding for the United States:

Chavez has accused U.S. officials of orchestrating the boycott to trigger a political crisis.

Populist to the core, Chavez also announced the death of the traditional Venezuelan parties –all others but his:

“These old parties, they are already dead — but they are still hanging on, resisting death,” Chavez told reporters after casting his vote in a poor Caracas neighborhood. “Now they’ve accelerated their own demise.”

Update: CBC reported that Chavez won by a landslide. What a surprise!

Crossposted from Civitatensis.ca