16-D Races to Watch: Zulia

Zulia has always been a mixed bag for Chavismo: The comandante presidente has won there in every presidential election so far (including the recent 7-O), but no Chavista has ever been elected Governor. Chávez himself has complained about this. Un Nuevo Tiempo is undefeated in regional elections since 2000. In spite of this, chavismo feels optimistic…

What on earth does Pablo Pérez think he’s doing?

In a shockingly ham-fisted move, Pablo Pérez’s announced earlier today that the opposition is in talks with a number of chavista governors, including those in Trujillo, Mérida, Bolívar and Yaracuy, to get them to switch their allegiance to Capriles. It’s just obvious to me that this isn’t something you can talk about until you have a done…

Machine Man

“We have 530,000 votes for Pablo Pérez in Zulia. And when I tell you we have 530,000 votes for Pablo Pérez in Zulia, that’s not some estimate, or a hope, or a plan or anything like that. When I say we have 530,000 votes for Pablo Pérez in Zulia it’s because I know which 530,000…

Message discip-SQUIRREL!!!

For the very abridged version of why Pablo Pérez’s campaign isn’t really taking off, have a look at this frankly weird clip: So, turns out the one big reason to want a Pablo Pérez presidency is that he’ll bring about…the Tarjeta Unica!??! Really!? But wasn’t his message last week about something else altogether? The guy’s like the…

The wrath of Ibsen

Ibsen Martínez is livid. A-rrecho, with capital A. And when Ibsen is mad at someone, you better pull out a dictionary. His latest is a scorching take-down of Carlos Ocariz and Juan Carlos Caldera. (Side note: Yes, Ibsen, it’s Juan Carlos, not Juan José; Google is your friend, fact-checking is your ally.) In a lengthy…

Henry hearts Pablo

AD has announced its endorsement of Pablo Pérez for President. Henry Ramos Allup made the announcement today. Antonio Ledezma, who has been busy courting AD’s base and all but dived into CAP’s grave, is sure to be disappointed. Both Ledezma and Maria Corina Machado are quickly slipping into irrelevance. As for us, well … let’s…

That’s not a campaign launch, that’s a rancho en llamas!

OK, y’all will say I’m biased against UNT, but seriously, this is Pablo Pérez’s campaign launch? I’m sorry, but that’s very weak. It’s not just that the visuals, with the collar de micrófonos, are awful. Leave aside the fact that he waited a full day before speaking. It’s that his strategic frame is…hopeless. Decentralization? That’s…

My governor joins the fray

Tal Cual is reporting that Zulia Governor Pablo Pérez will anounce his candidacy on July 5th, when he will address the Zulia parliament. I landed in Maracaibo and was promptly greeted by his face, smiling at me from a number of enormous billboards, advertising his every policy. Classy! He’s got my vote … not.

Hot air

Forty-eight degrees celsius – that right there was Maracaibo’s actual temperature last Saturday. A cousin sent me the picture to show how incensed people were – not by the heat, mind you, but by the fact that the city was enduring a 22-hour blackout. Now, you would think this would be a great opportunity for…

Pablo Pérez Channels His Inner Adeco

So long as we’re looking for examples of presumptive oppo primary contestants on the stump, I thought it only fair to give Zulia Gobernor Pablo Pérez his chance in the form – admittedly – of a two year old clip: The body language, the shouty grandiloquence, the arrechito declamatory style…you can put whatever three letters…