Jean-Paul Faguet

He dies, Hugo Chávez dies, and he has to live with Inigo Las Maduro, who just makes things worse. And the country is becoming an autocracy. The economy, it had a very sophisticated economy. productive sector in the sense of being an industrializing country where a lot of industries were located in Venezuela and made things that were consumed domestically.

He dies, Hugo Chávez dies, and he has to live with Inigo Las Maduro, who just makes things worse. And the country is becoming an autocracy. The economy, it had a very sophisticated economy. productive sector in the sense of being an industrializing country where a lot of industries were located in Venezuela and made things that were consumed domestically.

They were even beginning to export some industrial products. All of that gets gutted, and today it's oil. And oil is around the government. The government sucks oil out of the ground, pays off members of the military to continue supporting it. If you're an elite tied in with the government, you do extremely well, and everybody else is

They were even beginning to export some industrial products. All of that gets gutted, and today it's oil. And oil is around the government. The government sucks oil out of the ground, pays off members of the military to continue supporting it. If you're an elite tied in with the government, you do extremely well, and everybody else is

working in the informal sector, selling chewing gum or driving illegal taxis and just like trying to make ends meet. And about a third of the population has fled the country, the largest single number to Colombia. So the opposition says that they have clear evidence, voting evidence, because they were present in as many different voting locations as they could be.

working in the informal sector, selling chewing gum or driving illegal taxis and just like trying to make ends meet. And about a third of the population has fled the country, the largest single number to Colombia. So the opposition says that they have clear evidence, voting evidence, because they were present in as many different voting locations as they could be.

that they won and they won by large double digit majorities. They think that they won something like 70% of the vote and that Maduro is just stealing it, which to me, it looks like that's happening. What is not clear to me is how much evidence do they have? I'm sure they have some evidence, but is it anecdotal or is it really broad evidence?

that they won and they won by large double digit majorities. They think that they won something like 70% of the vote and that Maduro is just stealing it, which to me, it looks like that's happening. What is not clear to me is how much evidence do they have? I'm sure they have some evidence, but is it anecdotal or is it really broad evidence?

So I got there just in time for that, just after I'd graduated from an undergraduate. And he held a plebiscite and he was so arrogant, he thought he was going to win it outright. And happily for democracy, he allowed independent observers to be present at all the mesas de votación, the places where people went to vote.

So I got there just in time for that, just after I'd graduated from an undergraduate. And he held a plebiscite and he was so arrogant, he thought he was going to win it outright. And happily for democracy, he allowed independent observers to be present at all the mesas de votación, the places where people went to vote.

And he allowed a process where each vote was opened and shown publicly to observers and then counted. And then what the Chilean Democratic opposition did was to organize a series of reporters who were just like reading out the results.

And he allowed a process where each vote was opened and shown publicly to observers and then counted. And then what the Chilean Democratic opposition did was to organize a series of reporters who were just like reading out the results.

And when each Mesa had finished counting, they gave the totals and they relayed this back to Santiago to an independent radio station that was just like calling it out. And so at some point he tried to steal the election. When it became clear he had lost, he was flabbergasted. He had no idea he was gonna lose. When it became clear that he had lost roughly 60-40,

And when each Mesa had finished counting, they gave the totals and they relayed this back to Santiago to an independent radio station that was just like calling it out. And so at some point he tried to steal the election. When it became clear he had lost, he was flabbergasted. He had no idea he was gonna lose. When it became clear that he had lost roughly 60-40,

then they turned out the lights on the electoral authority and they tried to steal the election. But by then it was clear because there had been independent observers at every single place where Chileans voted. So, you know, at this point it's just, you know, he's going against reality. And happily Chile is too sophisticated society with too many educated people to allow that to happen.

then they turned out the lights on the electoral authority and they tried to steal the election. But by then it was clear because there had been independent observers at every single place where Chileans voted. So, you know, at this point it's just, you know, he's going against reality. And happily Chile is too sophisticated society with too many educated people to allow that to happen.

So are we going to get that kind of thing in Venezuela now or is it going to be able to steal it? And I think it's all down to how much evidence they have.

So are we going to get that kind of thing in Venezuela now or is it going to be able to steal it? And I think it's all down to how much evidence they have.

Yeah, yeah. Vanishingly small. Exactly. Exactly. Yeah. No, I mean, that's my intuition is that they were cheating in all kinds of ways. And the question is, are they going to try to – In past elections, I think he would have freely, if they had been free and fair, he would have lost, but it was closer. It's one thing to cheat if you're losing 55-45.

Yeah, yeah. Vanishingly small. Exactly. Exactly. Yeah. No, I mean, that's my intuition is that they were cheating in all kinds of ways. And the question is, are they going to try to – In past elections, I think he would have freely, if they had been free and fair, he would have lost, but it was closer. It's one thing to cheat if you're losing 55-45.