8:09 – Briquet looked happy, but carómetros are inherently unreliable. I still don’t have any kind of firm number to share, and the rumors going around strike me as either very partial, or entirely made up and not worth passing on. Para qué enrarecer el ambiente?
8:06 – Seriously frustrated with the connectivity problems here. If this keeps up I may need to go home to blog.
7:36 – The Free WiFi in the press room sucks! Unbelievable…
7:32 – An absurd press conference to suit an absurd political system. 99% of the information being conveyed here is being conveyed non-verbally.
7:24 – Briquet to a journo: “If you think I look happy, you have a good eye. There are plenty of reasons to be happy tonight.”
7:21 – Briquet is very coyly intimating victory here, while saying he has no results to give out. “We are highly satisfied with the results of the day.” “We have made a commitment to wait until CNE announces the next president of the republic.” Wink wink…
7:20 – Armando Briquet, Capriles campaign chairman, calls on the Plan República to tamp down on weird motorcycle movements.
7:18 – The guy looks very confident.
I think I saw you sitting there. Hope they know something we don’t.
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Amen!
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Let’s hope for the best. So much is riding on this….
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It is great that you are right there! Bring us some good news!
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Watch live here: http://www.livestream.com/hayuncamino
Briquet is happy. :)
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Is this for real? Did we won? I can t believe it until i see it
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Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Signs are positive. That’s all.
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primera fila quico!!!
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JUAN QUICO liberen los quick counts!!!
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Just saw you on globovision … happy carómetro al 1000%!!!
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For what it’s worth….
http://www.abc.es/20121008/internacional/abci-primeros-sondeos-venezuela-201210080050.html
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Your comment about the non-verbal info is “spot-on”. Put simply, this guy Briquet is behaving like a winner.
Very positive!
To your point, the system is absurd.
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Armando Briquet “… a las 19:36 PM anuncion que no hay cifras oficiales…” Then why are you blatantly giving declarations insinuating a Capriles victory… these guys are clowns.
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“There are no official numbers” = “CNE has not announced anything”. But actas are actas, my friend. It’s up to the CNE to acknowledge their truth or break the law.
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Exactly. Briquet is sending a message.
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I don’t trust politicians
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I trust politicians on nights when misleading their constituency could lead to the end of their careers.
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Not in Vzla, where a guy who tried to broadcsat some fake results on the aftermath of a CNE announcement, 4 year later gets elected as deputy…
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Come on, EA, remember in the Primaries, Ramos Allup was saying that Pablo Pérez won in Australia before the Mesa closed, with a completely made up number.
There are very few penalties for politicians who lie in Venezuela.
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all the theatrics are signals sent to different players (cne, comando carabobo, fnbv, international observers, etc)
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Just saw you on Globo. First Row !!!
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Mas claro no canta un gallo
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Quico, ni esperaste que se terminaran los aplausos, te levantaste y te llevaste el morral. Desde Australia, por Globovision te estamos viendo. Keep up the good work!
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Hey Quico, saw you leaving 30 ms after Bricquet finished. Keep it up!!
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I bet he’s running to get internet. :)
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Wish him good luck with that. Wifi on election day in Venezuela. Oy vey.
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jc entendió!
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Allahu Akbar-El tiempo De Dios Es Perfecto–French figures upside-down!!! (approx.).
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some very good source told me that comando carabobo is MIA
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They’re holding their press conference now, but have spent the opening minutes spewing the usual empty platitudes… Praising the electorate, civility, “Venezuela wins”, etc. etc. Not getting their usual cockiness.
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Cara e’ tabla scenario?.
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Hard to say. Exuding victory, but not consonant with info.
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Sorry I meant Comando Carabobo press conference now.
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That’s what I mean. Like the Nixon impeachment, “Why are these guys smiling??” Contrary to my information…
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The last time I saw the oppo guys happy in a situation like this was when we won the constitutional referendum in 2007.
If Briquet doesn’t really know anything and is only trying to keep the morale up I may just die.
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Thats exactly my point, these guyss are politicians, it is their job to defend their votes, even on defeat a 45% voting share shows some muscle, power to negotiate and shifts momentum to the January elections…
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I hope Jorge Rodriquez smiles are fake right now! He looks like he is sincerely happy, then like he is faking it…anyone else notice the same thing?
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J Rodriguez’ smiles are always fake. Remember, he’s a psychiatrist.
Cara e’tabla winner. Nobody does it better.
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No, the smile is real. Chavez won. Not close either.
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Wow…another rumor….they are removing the stage that was set up for Chavez…what does this mean if it is true??
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No crean en bolas…
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esa bola está rodando hace rato….
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Esos tipos with the red t-shirts sure look happy. If they are acting they are doing a helluva job!
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Hey wtf, Jorge Rodríguez just said “Tengo la sospecha que nos vamos a ver más tarde” and has been smiling like crazy.
WHY DO THEY PLAY WITH US LIKE THIS?
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Well to me he was hinting their victory, but let’s wait the CNE bulletin.
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Holy shit. Chavez is on the phone. This gotta be the must surreal election in the world.
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chavez called bacause rodriguez was making a fool of himself and screwing up the press conference
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Now Capriles is doubling down (twitter feed, but it may as well be ‘him’): Calma, cordura, paciencia!Hoy fue una jornada histórica, grandiosa, un pueblo que habló! Sabemos lo que pasó y debemos esperar! Que viva Vzla!
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folks, we have been here before. The most devastating feel good moment of all – the 2004 Referendum. Who doesnt remember going to bed that night and feeling pretty excited about things. Con calma. It really isnt over til it the end. We have had 13 years of antics and tactics, so let us not let our guard down.
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It really isn’t over til the Fat Man Croaks…
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Chavez on the phone. His most civil speech in history. Concesion?. Never thought I would say or hear this.
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Guys, I hate to rain on your parade, but Chavez and his compinches will never leave due to losing an election.
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We’ll deal with that when the problem shows up. Until then, it is hypothetical we will even face that scenario.
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8:09 – Briquet looked happy, but carómetros are inherently unreliable. I still don’t have any kind of firm number to share, and the rumors going around strike me as either very partial, or entirely made up and not worth passing on. Para qué enrarecer el ambiente?
THANK YOU!!!!!
Sanity is disappearing here. It seems Cthulu is arriving instead of the results.
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haha wow, following this from Sweden. Curious about your country and if Capriles wins I have a start up who will fit in to Vezla. I have had contact with venezuelans almost everyday since 2 years back but this 48 hours has made me learn more about this country.
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OK; I am going to be blunt. I just came in my pants.
A Scandinavian interested in a Start Up in Venezuela? (rubs his eyes)
You know, one of my issues with this “leftist”(militarist) govt is that they do have perfectly sane models to follow in your countries, and they chose to emulate Cuba, to be friends with Iran, Iraq, before the war, with Gadaffi, Al-Assad, and every other tyrant they could find.
Investing in a start up in Venezuela would be mad, even if Capriles wins, but mad ideas pay really well when they are successful, and, believe it or not, Venezuela has some great advantages despite all the red tape. Hay un camino, indeed. Difficult, winding, long, uphill, but there is a way.
Meanwhile, check about Start Up Chile.
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Guido, what is the risk if Capriles wins? Of course there’s a long way for Venezuela but when I talk to my contats and sees all the commercials on the TV it looks quite much like high tech country. I have a web developer from caracas and he is positive for the tech industry in venezuela if Capriles wins. How come Chile?
se.linkedin.com/in/fredrikkhedin
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Bureaucracy is still going to be a pain in the ass. Culture can be difficult, the exchange control is not going to be lifted right away, there are not enough English speaking people to support a big company and you can have trouble finding the right people if you have very specific requirements. There are qualified people, but often their English is substandard. OTOH, you can offer a modest amount and get top, excellent people. Salaries are really low in Venezuela for professionals, even for Chilean standards.
http://www.startupchile.org
Chile can give you funds for proof of concept, $40.000. Specially if your business plan involves the rest of Latin America. We can talk more about that, applications are open.
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Fredrik, jeg jobber med startups i Venezuela. Skriv til meg på paalvibe snabel-a frisurfDÅTTno
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A Norwegian in a start up in Venezuela?
OK, I am going insane.
Whoever you are, thanks for believing. Big hug.
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Yeah this was unexpected indeed. Now I have a web developer plus a norwegian webdeveloper in venezuela. And me, I a finance geek who are sold on equity-option trading.
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add me guys, we should keep in touch
se.linkedin.com/in/fredrikkhedin
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El barrio 23 de enero de Caracas, uno de los más chavistas de la capital venezolana, está esta noche igual que un domingo cualquiera. En los alrededores del palacio de Gobierno de Miraflores tampoco hay mucha gente, informa Luis Prados.
source: el pais
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Que significa?
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i felt some CCC faces fake, but some others I felt real! either they think the information they are receiving is real and a Chavez victory, or else they have been taking real good acting classes.
My concern is all this circo about hundreds of people still voting and in line, they just operate better in the darkness and by allowing for this they basically buy all the time they can….
I liked Armando’s B. performance, a solid happy guy. If both sides are to be taken on their word, then both sides have won!
A very nerve wrecking night ahead…
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I like your comment, LuisF: “If both sides [in Vzla] are to be taken on their word, then both sides have won!” Actually, there is a scenario in which this is plausible, or at least not far fetched, if played correctly. If Chavez wins with less than 55 percent of the vote, or conversely, if the opposition gets more than 45 percent of the vote, both sides can claim victory: Chavez a technical win, the opposition a symbolic win. And a symbolic win here with consequences, given that regional elections are in December and the opposition – unless it gives in to unsubstantiated cries of fraud (which is not to suggest such cries can’t be made, but they should be substantiated) – can build on what is a steady increase in support, and a proven effective electoral apparatus, to mount more local level wins, with an eye toward National Assembly elections in 2014 and a potential recall referendum in 2015.
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I’m on your side, as expected Chavez wins by 10%, Oppo leaders are protecting their work, their future stream of income, they have to fake happyness otherwise Chavismo will say they won 67 vs 30 and destoy morale for December…
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“As expected” by one pollster who also expected the opposition to get no more than 25 MPs in 2010. Every other reputable pollster has the race as too tight to call, or with Capriles edging Chavez.
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Personally I tend to think a closer win. Again, Chavez really needs at least 55 percent – though it’s not like he can’t parlay even a close win into renewed sense of purpose, mission (or misiones, como venga al caso), etc that would eventually reclaim some of his lost ground. But the Datanalisis poll was fairly convincing in terms of trends, underlying assumptions, etc, and those trends pointed to a close win. The Consultores poll, by contrast, made assumptions on the basis of an apples/oranges comparison (using trends from different kinds of electoral events) to make a case about a minimum number of votes. Obviously, you want to control for data that seem implausible. But you don’t credibly do that on the basis of the outcome you think you want. If your methodology is sound, and you it doesn’t give you the results you were expecting, then trouble is your assumptions, not the results.
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Thank you.
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No matter how much you prepare for this stuff, it’s always terrible. Knots in my stomach.
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True dat.
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One of the two camps is definitely bluffing. It’s not hard to see which one…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bluff_%28poker%29
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In other words only one side has a Plan B predicated on creating the impression that it actually won?
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Which is it?
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Chavez almost gave the game away. Guy sounded terrible in bed.
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CNE might be annouuncing something.
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Head fake walk to sala de totalización.
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bolas start shifting in Chavez’s direction.
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I would’ve had a stroke already. Thank you Vodka.
I saw Toro on Globovision!
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Is mr toro still there?
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Gin for me ;-)!
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Cheers. We’re switching up here
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Here’s a virtual *clink*!
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Clink!
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I hope you saved some for tomorrow, I sense both of you will need it.
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haha thank you for joining me on this eerie and VERY positive day
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Henrique Capriles R. @hcapriles
Calma,cordura,paciencia!Hoy fue una jornada histórica,grandiosa,un pueblo que habló!Sabemos lo que pasó y debemos esperar!Que viva Vzla!
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Anyone else annoyed by the obligatory “public service message” Globo has to show to comply with “the law”? I mean, what a bunch of propaganda!!
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Thought you guys would have numbers? You had numbers in 2010. :P
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quick counts now!!!
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Could be wrong, but called the Legislative elections exactly percentage-wise: multiple sources give a Capriles’ win by varying (not large) percentages (sources are Chavista, including Congress members). Meanwhile armed gangs are robbing people on streets in La Florida/Los Caobos, and are congregating at Puente Llaguno…
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The problem with the quick counts is that there are still a number of tables that have not been counted. I really hope they are not in Chavista strongholds!
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Quico, JC, tiren un hueso… son los unicos en los que confio. De resto todo el mundo habla paja.
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Support the motion!
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Learn to listen…
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Ugh! From Twitter: http://tinyurl.com/8lncok9 and http://tinyurl.com/9pbgtk7. Where do these people come from???
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A recording of Juan on CNNChile http://youtu.be/l27viUq86KE
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Thank you! I meant to do this on the other thread; sorry I didn’t do it sooner!
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Wonder where’s Cort Green. Hah.
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NOOOOOOOO!
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It’s past his bedtime
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Hahahahahaha!!! Good one!
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Ahora existen dos grandes preguntas: 1) si aceptara el perdedor la derrota, especialmente si hay gritos de trampa y 2) como actuara a la FAN para defender el resultado.
Segun esta discussion – http://www.the-counterpoint.com/discussion/D – la mayoria aun cree que chavez no soltara el poder. Desafortunadamente estoy de acuerdo, el ve su revolucion como un fin sin importar el costo al pais.
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Henrique Capriles R. @hcapriles
A esta hr algunos siguen con la misma cháchara de siempre,los mismos cuentos,con la diferencia que estos ya son de despedida!
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Remember the referendum back in 2010: The opposition won, but they announced it at 2am.
Therefore the way I see it, should the CNE announce the results within the next hour: We are royally fucked. Chavez won. However If the CNE takes longer, the more hopeful I will get for an opposition win. What do you think?
Just in: A contact of mine in New Orleans who volunteered informed me that consulate decided to NOT COUNT the votes today. Por lo tanto estan empezando ha armar un peo. Que sucios
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I am guessing it is really close, so Chavez is trying to keep the tables open that he needs to try to make it just past the finish line.
BTW, how many people voted in New Orleans? Maybe it can provide a slight buffer?
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Calm down, dude.
We are NOT royally fucked, even if we lost.
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Looks like the first statement is true.
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New Orleans is all noise. 7,000 people wont move the election… and I have yet to see international votes EVER counted.
Miguel Octavio reports bad news… “9:20 PM As certain results come in Chávez opens lead”
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I’m seeing pics of armored vehicles on Barquisimeto and Caracas, Twitter is on fire with this and I’m not sure of the veracity of such claims and photos, the other rumor going around now is that Chavez won. Here’s hope CNE ends this soon
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Hey guys:
I don’t know what to believe anymore.
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Well, the Unofficial Minister of Information has spoken. Ah. So it be. How disheartening, but I cannot say I am surprised.
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Yes, also Ibeyise Pacheco is saying it now. Seems Thugo won.
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If he’s not been hacked, then that’s the ballgame.
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Guys I don’t know, seems like a terribly irresponsible thing to do
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Leopoldo Castillo’s twitter has a similar kind of message.
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I thought I was prepared for this scenario, but here I am in tears…
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I am in peace.
I was expecting this, but there was a slight chance things would be different. Now I can take it easy, even if it is the calm of stoicism, not the calm of beatitude.
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Much alcohol will be consumed tonight, also as I predicted.
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Haven’t had time OR internet to keep up with comments.
However,all i wanna say is:
Capriles lost by probably 1 million “votes”. Win or lose, i was gonna leave this country but i was hoping that when i came back i came back to a healed country, a patient showing signs of obvious progress. But i remember Belarus and their elections and Cuba and authoritarism and Venezuelan society as they are now. Opportunistic and/or Indoctrinared. It’s sad but true.
Thank you CaracasChronicles for keeping us informed on EVERYTHING, and thank you comment section guys for the support. Madness is a MUST if we don’t have you indepedent bloggers. I will read you forever(till i die).
P:S: Vodka is a demon and it as possessed me.
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Estamos jodidos, gente. Un abrazo.
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