Venezuelan presidential election

[Dr. MB]

I am strongly supporting Falcón.

[America Needs R'hllor]

From a quick read, Falcón seems like the only kinda acceptable option.

[Politician]

Falcon is the only one who isn't demented.

[Goldwater]

From a quick read, Falcón seems like the only kinda acceptable option.

[Lexii, harbinger of chaos and sexual anarchy]

Falcón, duh

[Lumine]

I would abstain like most of the opposition. Falcon seems like a useful puppet candidate for Maduro and nothing more, especially considering he is a former Chavez supporter.

[Former President tack50]

Henri Falcon though honestly I'd take anyone above Maduro.

[Kingpoleon]

Javier Bertucci. Falcón is a puppet.

[Hash]

I wouldn't vote in an illegitimate farcical election, as that would only serve to legitimize Maduro's criminal dictatorial regime and allow him to boast about how Venezuela's 'democracy' is the best on the planet (which he'll do anyway).

If the past few months have shown anything, it is that, unfortunately, political change in Venezuela can no longer come through elections or formal constitutional processes. These elections were called by the sham 'constituent assembly' and tailored to the regime's desires with the explicit purpose of providing a 'massive victory' to Maduro following the string of 'triumphs' in 2017.

Falcón's problem isn't that he's a former chavista - a lot of people, both in and out of the country, are disgruntled ex-chavistas - but rather that he agreed to participate in this election, which raises questions about whether there's a 'pact' between him and Maduro or why he has agreed to partake in a phony electoral process served to legitimize a dictatorship.

[Sunmerican Dream.]

None. I would boycott this sham of an election.

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

I mean, sometimes even dictators unexpectedly lose e.g. Jammeh, the recent loss of BN In Malaysia.

[JA]

Maduro

[mvd10]

Maduro

[JA]

Maduro

I would vote for Nicolas Maduro. If anyone thinks the "shock therapy" Falcon has declared he'd introduce will do anything but even further immiserate the Venezuelan lower classes and create an extraordinary autocracy while selling off everything that currently belongs to the Venezuelan people, then you're insane. That didn't help the people of Eastern Europe, nor will it help Venezuelans. Maduro, as bad as he is (and I know he is bad), is still the least worst option available.

[mvd10]

Maduro

I would vote for Nicolas Maduro. If anyone thinks the "shock therapy" Falcon has declared he'd introduce will do anything but even further immiserate the Venezuelan lower classes and create an extraordinary autocracy while selling off everything that currently belongs to the Venezuelan people, then you're insane. That didn't help the people of Eastern Europe, nor will it help Venezuelans. Maduro, as bad as he is (and I know he is bad), is still the least worst option available.

Well, I guess we radically different opinions. I just was curious to the explanation behind a rather radical choice. Is there no serious leftist opposition to Maduro? Or atleast a possibility for a leftist protest vote?

[Former President tack50]

Maduro

I would vote for Nicolas Maduro. If anyone thinks the "shock therapy" Falcon has declared he'd introduce will do anything but even further immiserate the Venezuelan lower classes and create an extraordinary autocracy while selling off everything that currently belongs to the Venezuelan people, then you're insane. That didn't help the people of Eastern Europe, nor will it help Venezuelans. Maduro, as bad as he is (and I know he is bad), is still the least worst option available.

Well, I guess we radically different opinions. I just was curious to the explanation behind a rather radical choice. Is there no serious leftist opposition to Maduro? Or atleast a possibility for a leftist protest vote?

The four candidates seem to be:

Nicolás Maduro: self explainatory

Henri Falcón: His key proposal seems to be dollarization, basically switching the Venezuelan economy to the US dollar. Probably would fix the inflation IMO, though not sure about the cost (though considering the dire situation of Venezuela it's probably still worth it)

Javier Bertucci: An evangelical pastor.

Reinaldo Quijada: He seems to be what you are looking for. He apparently claimed he was 70% chavista. According to polls he is way behind though. So quite obscure.

IMO the ranking would be something like Falcón>Quijada>Bertucci>Maduro

[Lexii, harbinger of chaos and sexual anarchy]

"will do anything but even further immiserate the Venezuelan lower classes and create an extraordinary autocracy while selling off everything that currently belongs to the Venezuelan people"

No, you're thinking of Maduro

[mvd10]

Anyway, I'd abstain. It's a pure sham election organized by Maduro, voting would only legitimize him. Military pls Pinochet.

[DavidB.]

Military pls Pinochet.

Would be endlessly more legitimate in this case than in Chile's case.

[Hash]

Military pls Pinochet.

Would be endlessly more legitimate in this case than in Chile's case.

The Venezuelan military, particularly the Bolivarian National Guard, is a criminal drug trafficking and contraband organization operating with the blessing, support and active participation of key elite figures in the Venezuelan government, known as the so-called 'Cartel of the Suns'. From the available evidence, it seems as if the military got tired of playing second-fiddle intermediaries between the Colombian bigwigs and Central American/Mexican distributors, and took matters directly into their own hands, relegating the former to deal directly with the latter. Make no mistake: empanada drawer Maduro is but a clownish façade to a mafia state, the real power probably being with the criminal sectors of the military and political leadership including Diosdado Cabello and Vice-President Tareck El-Aissami (who is on the US Treasury's Narcotics Kingpins list), whose influence and control over criminal activities is probably the reason why this regime hasn't fallen despite everything. Venezuela is one of the most corrupt countries in the world*.

I really doubt that Venezuela becoming even more of narco-state, Manuel Noriega's Panama or post-coup Honduras on steroids, is the best idea out there.

* According to the CPI, less corrupt countries include Turkmenistan, Eritrea, DRC, R. Congo, Zimbabwe and Haiti.

[TheSaint250]

Maduro is a disgusting, dictatorial POS.

[GM Team Member and Deputy PPT WB]

Abstain. Gun to my head: Falcon