2013 Early Venezuela Presidential Election

[Tender Branson]

Chavez comes to bless Maduro in the form of ‘little bird’



The deceased Venezuelan commandante, Hugo Chavez has allegedly come back from the dead disguised as a “little bird” to give his blessing to acting President Nicholas Maduro.

In the run-up to presidential elections slated for April 14, Chavez’s successor confessed he had been approached by the spirit of the legendary freedom fighter during a morning prayer.

During the speech at the opening rally of his campaign in Chavez's native state of Barinas, Nicholas Maduro told a crowd of onlookers that, as he was praying in solitude in a small chapel, a little bird flew whistling in, circled three times over his head and perched on a ceiling beam.

“I whistled to it in response,” Mr. Maduro told the stunned crowd, “the bird gave me a weird look, whistled again, flew around me and vanished.”

Maduro confessed it was then that he felt the spirit of the late Chavez. “I felt him there as though he were giving me a blessing, saying: ‘Today the battle begins. Onwards to victory. You have our blessing!”

Nicholas Maduro has several times mentioned spiritual presence of Hugo Chavez after the death of beloved Venezuelan leader on March 5. At Chavez’s state funeral, the party chief said that his soul was so huge that the body could not hold it and now his soul is hovering around the world, ever expanding and is filling us all with love and grace.”

The acting president has also called Venezuela’s current leadership “Chavez’s apostles.” After Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected the Catholic Pope following Chavez’s death, Maduro claimed that someone had assured Christ that “South America's time has come”. He also said that since Chavez was up in heaven he probably had some influence there.

A Venezuelan TV channel has released a video clip about Maduro’s meeting with the Chavez bird. The heaven in the video looks remarkably like a Venezuelan savanna in Commandante’s native rural state of Barinas.

http://english.ruvr.ru/2013_04_03/Chavez-comes-to-bless-Maduro-in-the-form-of-little-bird-501

...

LOL

[Velasco]

Chávez might start to work wonders very soon. Pope Francis have got no alternative, he must make Hugo saint now. Bergoglio owes him his own victory in the Papal Conclave, as Maduro said, so it's an act of justice. Onwards the altars, Comandante!

[Sec. of State Superique]

I can see a close elections being draw! 51%-49%, you decide who wins!

[Tender Branson]

Capriles pulls ahead by 5 - in the latest poll by an Argentinian pollster:

http://www.abc.es/internacional/20130407/abci-capriles-maduro-sondeo-201304070052.html

Probably toss that poll.

[Tender Branson]

Their tracking poll looks like this:



But: There have been numerous polls showing Capriles ahead of Chavez too ahead of last years election, sometimes ahead by more than 20 and then Chavez won by 11.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Yeah, Venezuelan polls seem utterly worthless.

[Tender Branson]

Yeah, Venezuelan polls seem utterly worthless.

They are all over the place and probably driven by partisan interests as well.

Those polling companies that have opposition leadership probably show Capriles ahead, and those with pro-Chavez leadership have Maduro ahead.

Then there's Hinterlaces which got the Chavez-Capriles margin mostly correct. They have Maduro ahead by 15-20 right now.

[Famous Mortimer]

Someone needs to send Dean Chambers to Venezuela.

[Zanas]

The problem is the more there are polls that show Capriles ahead, even if they are opposition-owned, the more the establishment in place will be inclined to rig the election. Fear is a powerful pulsion... I hope this goes well, in one way or the other. Venezuela doesn't need a civil war right now. Or ever...

[🐒Gods of Prosperity🔱🐲💸]

“I whistled to it in response,” Mr. Maduro told the stunned crowd, “the bird gave me a weird look, whistled again, flew around me and vanished.”

at least that part's believable.

[Tender Branson]

Tomorrow is the election !

Any predictions ?

Mine:

54% Maduro
44% Capriles
  2% Other

Turnout: 78% (-3%)

[RogueBeaver]

Maduro 53
Capriles 45
Other 2

If Capriles gap to single digits, then all the better. I doubt he gets closer than 5.

[Niemeyerite]

Maduro 56%
Capriles 42%

[politicus]

Maduro 54,5-55%
Capriles 43-43,5%
Other 1,5-2%

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

Pardon my ignorance but is it an election to fill the term Chavez was elected for or the winner will have the entire new term?

[RogueBeaver]

Pardon my ignorance but is it an election to fill the term Chavez was elected for or the winner will have the entire new term?

I don't get your question. The winner will serve the entire term, that is till January 2019.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

Maduro-54%
Capriles-45%
Others-1%

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

Pardon my ignorance but is it an election to fill the term Chavez was elected for

No, its for a full term.

Thanks

[Tender Branson]

Pardon my ignorance but is it an election to fill the term Chavez was elected for

No, its for a full term.

Thanks

BBC says otherwise:

You must be logged in to read this quote.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-22140143

[Tender Branson]

Maduro and his bird called "Hugo":

[Tender Branson]

Turnout seems to be much lower this time, but voting is very orderly and without problems says this report (remember that turnout last year was very high at 81%, so probably 70% today):

You must be logged in to read this quote.

[Bacon King]

Calling a surprise victory for Capriles.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Demobilization on the Chavez side due to not having the Dear Leader anymore, or general demobilization because the result is already obvious?

[ag]

Demobilization on the Chavez side due to not having the Dear Leader anymore, or general demobilization because the result is already obvious?

More likely the other way around: demoralization on the opposition side. The government has the machine, the opposition, unfortunately, doesn't.

[Zuza]

Any predictions ?

55% Maduro
44% Capriles
1% others