March 19, 2004
LIVING ON BORROWED TIME:
Poll Numbers Devastating for Chávez (Hispanic American Center for Economic Research)
Venezuela's President Hugo Chávez would be defeated by a wide margin in any election or any referendum on his mandate, according to two private polling firms that released their survey results here Wednesday.Polls conducted in 64 cities and in rural areas show ''consistently since late 2001 that, at a ratio of around 70-30, the electorate would vote against Chávez,'' Luis León, director of the Datanálisis firm, told the foreign press.
In a potential referendum to revoke Chávez's mandate -- a vote that the opposition is seeking and which the Constitution allows as of August -- ''64 percent of the electorate would vote against Chávez and 34 percent in favor,'' said León. Saúl Cabrera, of Consultores 21 polling firm, told the press that ''in any election Chávez would lose.''
''It's what you could say about someone gravely ill with cancer: he is going to die in a month, six months or a year. But he is going to die,'' said the public opinion expert.
Not soon enough. Posted by Orrin Judd at March 19, 2004 4:32 PM
Assuming Hugo doesn't make like his friend Fidel and start having "elections" where he wins 100% of the vote while the opposition mysteriously vanishes...
Posted by: Just John at March 19, 2004 6:30 PMThat's a lot of opposition to make mysteriously vanish. However, I'm cynical enough to suspect that Senor Chavez will try to find a way.
Posted by: Joe at March 19, 2004 9:26 PM