Monday 16 February 2009

Venezuela: A Functioning Democracy

Which is not to say that I like the Government there. I do not like the governments of many functioning democracies, and find several a very great deal worse than that of Venezuela.

In a dictatorship, a referendum does not go the wire, as has now happened twice in Venezuela. And the dictator certainly does not lose, as Chávez lost last time. Rather, he gets ninety-nine per cent of the vote, or something like that. So Venezuela is not a dictatorship. She is a functioning democracy.

Even now, Chávez can only have "stay for life" if the electorate keeps voting for him until he dies. On that basis, British Prime Ministers can "stay for life", too.

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