Abstention appears to be massive!

December 4, 2005


Just did a huge tour of the city, not only to check out lots of voting centers, but to show the city to A.Mora y Leon who is visiting Caracas. We went all over the city, from Petare to Caricuao, Catia and downtown.The picture is the same everywhere, huge abstention all over place. Turnout is much lower than in August and I mean MUCH lower even in Chavista areas We saw at least 15 voting centers, maybe three in middle class areas, the rest in lower middle class to poor areas and in only two centers did we see any movement. By movement I mean more than three or four people that looked like they were going in or out of voting. And I mean looked like, I can’t tell if they really were. We did see two centers in middle class neighborhoods where one could see there were only the  two guards that are protecting each center. That’s it. Nobody else!


On the picturesque side, we saw a group of Chavistas singing and dancing, with all of the women wearing blonde wigs with long hair in imitation of Lina Ron. So much for our own values, the cult of blonde hair! I took Mora to see a Barrio Adentro Module in Caricuao, but it was closed!I also took a picture at a voting center of a line of Presidential Guards waiting to vote, right next to the Miraflores Palace. I guess that was the only line we saw and I can understand why they all have to go and vote. They actually looked a little intimidating so Mora was concerned about taking a picture, but she did anyway! You  can see this very singular line of voters above left and on the right a voting center at a school in dowtown Caracas, where all you can see is just military.

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