Dissident Chavismo fights the pole and the pole won

/ August 4, 2015
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I fought the pole and the pole won

Discontent inside Chavismo has been brewing in recent times. but as each day passes, more and more factions are openly challenging the PSUV.

El Nacional’s Hernan Lugo-Galicia had the details a couple of days ago on four Chavista groups that have decided to forsake the Grand Patriotic Pole coalition and run alone for the upcoming legislative election. (Well not so alone, but I’ll get to that.)

Remember the Bolivarian Circles? No? What about the MBR-200? Neither?

Ok, here’s a quick recap: The first one was Chavismo’s original model of base organization, but became more known back then for their violence. It slowly fell into oblivion.

The second one was the comandante presidente’s first political movement, prominent during the two 1992 coup attempts, and replaced in 1997 by the MVR party (and changed into PSUV a decade later).

Well, there are still remnants of both alive, and recently had their national encounter in Caracas in which agreed to unify into a single entity and prepare themselves for the December 6th election.

Ruben Mendoza, who’s identified in El Nacional’s report as the national coordinator of the Bolivarian Circles leaves it quite clear:

(PSUV’s) June 28th primaries were a democratic illusion: They invited the lambs to legitimate the lions. The PSUV is an organization with shared thrones, with kings, viceroys and counts that call “democratic and participatory” elections but in the end they impose their subjects… …the PSUV took over the Grand Patriotic Pole and will give only crumbs to PCV, PPT, REDES and UPV.”

The new alliance of Bolivarian Circles and MBR-200, along with groups Dignity Project and the Anti-Imperialist Popular Union (UPRA), will run their own candidates for the National Assembly, but they lacked an electoral card (a slot on the ballot box) to do so. No problem, as the Workers’ Revolutionary Party (PRT) which offered to lend them theirs. Castillo said they’re got an agreement with PRT’s leadership to put their candidates under its banner.

But hours after the candidate registration began, PRT’s Secretary-General Otto Boudeguer didn’t register those candidacies and finally sided with the PSUV-GPP. According to Mr. Mendoza, Boudeguer felt the pressure from Miraflores and colorin, colorado, esa alianza se ha acabado.

In the end, the PSUV-GPP coalition have their candidates but as Bloomberg News’ Caracas correpondent Anatoly Kurmanaev tweets, it seems like Mr. Mendoza was right all along about the crumbs.

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27 thoughts on “Dissident Chavismo fights the pole and the pole won”

    • You have to love the nazi-esque arm stretch there, signaling “pa’lante es pa’llá”.

      I could suggest a fate worse than death, having their cable tv connections cut, that’s bound to cause some lasting damage there, heh.

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      • What struck me was the pharaonic drawing to depict a figure in a two-dimensional style, damn any consideration of perspective, and the tight-fitting blue shirt on the sculptured torso (hubba-hubba) of a Caucasian male (though in other logo iterations, he has some Chinese-looking factions), wearing a ‘brown-shirt’ style cap, or is it a hard hat, while turning his head at a sharp 90-degree angle to the left, where his outstretched arm points his lo-o-ong white finger.

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        • I’m not sure it’s a finger–looks like a pistol–fits in with the crossed machete and truncated sword over the red star….

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          • Fitting symbolism for yet another Venezuelan Red Party–a pistol (many Venezuelans’ tool of trade), instead of a hammer; a machete (traditional Venezuelan maleza-cutting instrument),instead of a sickle (Russian tool for reaping grains); and, a broken sword, symbolizing the broken promises of, “La espada de Bolivar, que camina, sobre America Latina.”

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      • Picassos, in comparison. Meaning the artists forced to turn their skills into selling Soviet propaganda in order to eat.

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    • Maybe I’m just too pitiyanqui, but the first thing that came to mind when I saw that was Captain America’s shield.

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  4. For some reason, Cilia Flores to the AN screams more about the concern the “orthodox” PSUV feel about dissidents within the GPP. I’m thinking that the small hasbeen parties are a sideshow to the coming fireworks.

    Why would someone with her party pedigree, someone who could shore up her husband’s power in a powerful-yet-not-repaying-of-favors ministerial position, go back to the AN? Chavismo has no fear of nepotism, so it isn’t concern over how that would appear. They certainly won’t put her into a district that has any chance whatsoever of losing, so she’s not there to capture a “swing” district (imagine the potential for humiliation and a quasi-referendum if they did). And one AN vote, more or less guaranteed to be PSUV, will not make a difference in any event.

    Unless, of course, you were worried about someone in the AN.

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    • I believe Cilia is protecting her backside against the probability of the future toppling of Maduro, one way or another, at which time she would become like the proverbial “guayabera”.

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    • There are two likely reasons for including Cilia in the parlaimentary roster (there could be more) , one they foresee a much more important and active oppo presence and need someone who has experience at parlaimentary battles beyond the mere sneering of insults and head bashing that DDC is known for , second they want to take DDC outside the line of succesion in case anything happens to inhabilitate Maduro ( e.g. a sudden ´’illness’ masking a covert inhouse coupt d etat) . They went thru a great deal of effort when Chavez death was announced to avoid having DDC appear even for a short while as head of state , there must have been a reason for that , there are people inside chavismo who hate DDC’s guts and dont want him too close to becoming the occupant of Chavez old throne , they would prefer Cilia instead.

      Cilia is a power figure of her own inside Chavismo , she is of course part of the Maduro power base but dont think that if they find it convenient to jettison him as incompetent she will become a grieving window throwing herself into the funeral pyre . She will move on , take up the pieces of Maduros old following and go for the top spot herself.

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      • When Maduro goes, Cilia would go, or at least soon after. She’s not going to the Parliament because she’s a brilliant stateswoman.

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        • None of them are , but Cilia has her own power base and she had some experience in parliament which however mediochre might top that of DDC . If there is a jettisoning of Maduro it will be very important for them to make people beleive that ´nothngs happened´, that may help Cilia maintain a position aside from the help she may give other chavista factionsin getting rid of Maduro .

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  5. What I find amazing is that they still believe in “el proceso”. They hate Maduro/Diosdado and co, but they believe that if they run the show, they will run the revolution correctly! they will follow the guidelines of their comandante eterno and bring Venezuela to the sea of happiness! Holy shit!

    Or am I being naive and they just want to steal whatever is left?

    The logo… I share your pain.

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    • Massive lack of Real education + oil + disguised “democratic” or “socialistic” government = Massive Corruption = Massive Disaster.

      Every time. Anytime, anywhere.

      And yes, they want to steal whatever is left.

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  6. The Logo is definitely not a professionally designed logo , too crass and primitive for that , like the sort of thing a 12 year old wannabe revolutionary kid might doodle on the back of his notebook while attempting to distract himself from the teachers lecture from the back of the class.

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