Hugo Chavez brought it home yesterday, in the way that socialist thugs who control all branches of government tend to do.
Touting his victory in a speech to thousands, Chavez said Venezuelans should expect an "expansion of the revolution" aimed at redistributing the country's oil wealth among the poor.
"Long live the revolution!" Chavez shouted from the balcony of the presidential palace. "Venezuela is demonstrating that a new and better world is possible, and we are building it."
With 78 percent of voting stations reporting, Chavez had 61 percent of the vote, to 38 percent for Rosales.
He got right to the important business:
Dressed in his signature red shirt, Chavez told cheering supporters at his presidential palace that his landslide was a blow to US President George W Bush's administration, which portrays the leftist as an anti-democratic menace.
"Today we gave another lesson in dignity to the imperialists, it is another defeat for the empire of Mr Danger," Chavez roared from a balcony above the crowds using one of the insults he has tossed at the US president.
Mr. Danger? I like it.
Dawnsblood was liveblogging some of the election results, and noted this little development, not characteristic of fair and free elections:
Officials identifying themselves as members of a state regulatory agency forced the U.S.-based Spanish-language TV network Telemundo to halt transmission Sunday of its presidential election coverage.
"We're surprised by this," said Pablo Iacub, a member of Telemundo's eight-person team, which arrived last week. "We only want to do our work," he said by telephone.
At least six people who identified themselves as members of the National Commission of Telecommunications (CONATEL), which regulates electronic media in Venezuela, arrived Sunday afternoon at the hotel from which Telemundo had been transmitting since Friday, said Iacub.
The officials said the network needed permission to transmit and lacking such could not, he said. Iacub said he was unaware of such a requirement but that the Telemundo journalists were accredited with Venezuela's national elections council.
Iacub said the Telemundo team asked how they could obtain permission and, after an hour, were told that they would not be able to transmit.
Iran hailed on Monday the presidential election victory of fellow US foe Hugo Chavez in Venezuela, saying it reflected Latin America's opposition to Washington's "arrogant attitudes".
Chavez's other grinning dictator buddy would also undoubtedly be pumped about the win if he weren't so dead.
The opposition camp is protesting irregularities and intimidation. No way. From a socialist dictator? I cannot believe it.
Daniel was blogging in Venezuela:
It is not that Chavez has beaten me, he just has convinced me that I need to lead a parallel life, with select and trustful friends, and forget about the dreariness of the coming Venezuela, where streets will be named for obscure assassins, where buhoneros will rule the cities, where nature will become too dangerous with crime and pollution to visit. We will gather in small groups, reminisce, rebuild in our imaginations a gentle Venezuela that could have been.
Read the whole, heart-breaking thing.
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