Political Stability, Chavez’s Everlasting Legacy
How would you assess Hugo Chavez’s 14 year presence in power?
A fair look at Chavez’s record shows that governments in Venezuela and, in general, Latin America do not last more than 6 months. This means that Latin America suffered from instability before Chavez and this instability had unfortunately turned into the dominant political culture in that region. In my opinion, the first thing Chavez left behind was ending this instability. Furthermore, he can be considered as the founder of political convergence in Latin America. This convergence has been transformed into a ruling hegemony in Latin America. These are important cases that can be counted as Chavez’s achievements and legacy for Venezuela and Latin America. During his presidency, Chavez made great changes in education, health, and social issues which led to a great decrease in people’s unemployment and poverty.
What will the future of power be in Venezuela?
Based on the Venezuelan constitution, preparations for elections must be made within the next thirty days. Mr. Nicolas Maduro, the Vice President and the interim President after Chavez’s demise, has stated that he will take the necessary measures for holding elections. Of course, as you know, Mr. Chavez was a military officer who came to power in 1999 and had won in the most recent election as well, but his illness did not allow him to take the oath of office.
Will Chavez’s death create a threat for Venezuela?
Considering the condolences sent by Chavez’s opponents in Venezuela and the presidents of regional countries, it seems that all parties related to this country seek unity in Venezuela. The presidents of Argentina and Uruguay have flown to Caracas on private planes. Considering the common positions taken by all, it does not seem that the country would move towards unrest. This is a very important issue.
Chavez’s opponents were more powerful in the last election compared to the previous ones. Can they be expected to take advantage of this opportunity?
At the present time, the opposition does not have the political strength it had before. Before the results of the election were announced, they had begun to divide the posts. At that time, when they did have a certain political status, they were not able to gain anything. But today, in general, the balance of power is to the benefit of Mr. Chavez. But right now there are high sensitivities in this country of which the people should be aware, because any incorrect measure, wrong position or unhealthy move can destroy the most important element of security and peace in the region.
After Chavez, will Iran-Venezuela relations be as warm as in the past?
The Islamic Republic of Iran, while expressing its condolences to the people of Venezuela, has supported Nicolas Maduro, who was Chavez’s deputy and is now his replacement. Iran believes that the people of Venezuela will move in the same direction due to the good record and memories of Mr. Chavez, and since the Venezuelans are emotional people, they will show their passion to continue on Chavez’s path in the upcoming election.
Raul Castro, the Cuban leader, has stated that these will be the last five years of his presidency in this country. Considering Chavez’s death, will a new generation of leaders come to power in Latin America?
The Americans considered Latin America as their backyard. But due to the events of 9/11 and US involvement in Afghanistan and Iraq, they distanced themselves from this region. During recent years, an anti-US coalition has formed in general in that part of the world. The reason was that the people, on one side, were concerned about US colonization in this region and, on the other, were discontent with the authoritarian and military governments which were US puppets. The people of the region had become frustrated with empty promises. All of these led to the creation of a hegemony comprised of Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil, Cuba, Venezuela, Paraguay, etc. All of these countries moved towards popular governments and a new generation came to power which forced the US to review its incorrect policies. This was a natural event. The international developments confirmed this incident. Latin America, as a great land with huge God-given resources, will play a significant role in future world equations. This significance has led the Americans to consider reviving their dominance in this region. But it seems that with their awareness and the experiences of the previous governments, which did not fulfill their duties with respect to people’s demands, the people of the region will no longer accept any regime which would be a US lackey.