The brutally blunt and perceptive Castaneda has a couple of things to say about Hugo in Newsweek International, specifically:
In a sense, this support might be perceived as a paradoxical condemnation of Chavez's policies: he likes the poor, which is why they support him, and he tries to help them with his social policies. But poverty has not really diminished in Venezuela since 2000, so the poor also remain extremely numerous. Like so many populists in Latin America, Hugo Chavez loves the poor as they are, and wants to keep them that way.Castaneda also notes that Hugo could have some issues down the road:
Conversely, if Rosales ends up not more than 5 percentage points behind the president, the opposition's protests might have some effect. That's because Chavez has manipulated the system to benefit his candidacy: he's stacked the electoral authority with his own party people, he's largely stifled the opposition media and the government bought the U.S.-based electronic voting company that will tabulate the nationwide vote. Those factors, combined with a tight vote, could prompt the international groups —including The Carter Center, European Union and the Organization of American States —to declare that the election was illegitimate. Many of Chavez's opponents at home and abroad are hoping that scenario plays out .Castaneda has a great deal more faith in the observers than I do.
