Monday, May 15, 2017

Venezuela primed for civil war


Maduro is cornered. He could not win a presidential election this year, or in 2018 either. It’s not even certain that the rank-and-file of the security forces can be relied on to defend him forever. So he has played his last card: a new constitution. The last constitution was written by Chavez himself and adopted in 1999. At the time, he said it was the best in the world and promised it would last for centuries, but on May 1, Maduro said the country needs a new one. He is going to call a "constituent assembly" to write it, although he was vague on how its members would be chosen. Some might be elected, and others would be chosen from "social organizations" (i.e. his cronies). The Chavez constitution does not give Maduro the authority to do this, but the man is desperate. He needs an excuse to postpone elections he knows he would lose, and this is the best he can come up with. It won’t work, because the opposition understands his game and will not accept it. The country is drifting toward civil war. More…

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