Venezuela president Nicolas Maduro's recall vote may not happen until 2017

[Eugene]

Source: Reuters

Authorities in Venezuela have presented a timeline for a potential recall vote against president Nicolas Maduro that appeared to make a vote unlikely this year, a move slammed by the opposition as an effort to favor the ruling Socialist party.

The timing of the recall is critical because recalling Maduro in 2016 will trigger fresh elections. Polls suggest he would lose given discontent over product shortages and triple-digit inflation.

A recall next year, however, would lead Maduro to be replaced by his vice-president, who would serve the remainder of his term through early 2019.

A petition drive to collect signatures from 20% of registered voters, the next step in the recall process, would “probably” take place in late October, National Elections Council President Tibisay Lucena said in televised comments, adding this would depend on whether the opposition has properly requested the vote.

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Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/aug/09/venezuela-president-recall-vote-nicolas-madura

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Reuters in Caracas
Tuesday 9 August 2016 22.09 BST

[MADem]

1. He is a defacto dictator. He'll find a reason to take "extra-ordinary" power (again)

unless someone holds his miserable feet to the fire.

[7962]

2. Another year further down the toilet. nt

[roamer65]

3. I'm surprised there hasn't been a military coup.

There has to be rumblings in the military, no doubt.

[Marksman_91]

5. There are. But they're doing everything they can to keep 'em happy

Every few weeks they promote some new douche to the rank of general. There are literally more active generals now in Venezuela than in the US, despite the fact that they have never been involved in any war or seen any actual military combat ever in their lives. And not to mention how deeply involved the Venezuelan military is with drug trafficking. We're literally the laughingstock of the world at this moment under Maduro.

[roamer65]

7. That will get harder and harder for Maduro.

Especially when "you know who" shows up with suitcases full of Yankee dollars to sponsor a coup, like 2002.

[Archae]

4. Am I the only who noticed...

Maduro is looking more and more like Pinochet?

[roamer65]

6. Pinochet was a CIA sponsored right wing thug.

Maduro is a failing, yet elected, leftist president. I see very little similarities.

If there is a right wing CIA sponsored military coup, then I will see similarities.

[Archae]

8. He's acting like Pinochet.

Opponents jailed, "disappeared" and even tortured.

Rule by decree.

Puts cronies into high offices to ensure his hold on power.

A dictator is a dictator, whether they are left-wing or right-wing.

I was just reading about how Zimbabwe's dictator is taking over the diamond mines since his own corruption is losing money from those mines.

[Igel]

9. Between RW and LW autocrats, sadly,

I usually prefer RW cockspuds.

They demand compliance, but relatively seldom worry about rooting out quiet dissent. They don't see themselves as necessarily personal messiahs and consider fear to suffice. They rule by caprice, but as long as you don't challenge them, meh. They're thugs, pure and simple.

The LW cockspuds require not just compliance, but they demand that you agree with them and say how wonderful they are both in public and in private. They rule by caprice, too often, but also use laws to make life impossible. And since they think they're messiahs, their repression acquires a moralistic hue--not just "How dare you challenge our authority?" but "How dare you challenge all that's Right and Good--us!" They're more like pedophile priests, "We're here to help you ... Okay, now that you trust us, prepare to be raped."