- Venezuelan presidential election, 1998
In the
December 6 ,1998 Venezuela n presidential election,Hugo Chávez was elected to his first term asPresident of Venezuela with the largest percentage of the popular vote (56.2%) in four decades. He had run on an anti-corruption and anti-poverty platform, condemning the two major parties that had dominated Venezuelan politics since1958 .Chávez's electoral platform
The Chávez platform comprised three basic pledges.ref|va3 First, Chávez promised that he would begin his presidency by abolishing Venezuela's old political system, "
puntofijismo ", and opening up political power to independent and third parties. Second, Chávez promised to end corruption. Third, Chávez promised to eradicate poverty in Venezuela.Chávez condemned the traditional two-party system that had dominated Venezuelan politics from 1958 up until the catastrophic riots and turmoil of
1992 –1993 . Until then, democratic transfers of power always occurred between the social democraticAcción Democrática and the Christian democratic Comité de Organización Política Electoral Independente (COPEI), which together had garnered more than 90% of the votes in all elections held since 1973. Owing to his leftist agenda, the Chávez candidacy began a remarkable ascent. Chávez registered 30% in polls taken in May 1998; by August he was registering 39%.ref|carter1Chávez's campaign
After a two-year imprisonment, Chávez was pardoned by President
Rafael Caldera in 1994. Upon his release, Chávez immediately reconstituted the MBR-200 as theFifth Republic Movement (MVR—"Movimiento Quinta República", with theV representing the Roman numeral five). Later, in 1998, Chávez began to campaign for the presidency. In working to gain the trust of voters, Chávez drafted an agenda that drew heavily on his interpretation of Bolivarianism. Chávez thus campaigned on an anti-corruption and anti-poverty platform, while pledging to dismantle "puntofijismo ", the traditional two-partypatronage system.cite journal
last=Guillermoprieto| first=Alma | year=2005 | title=Don't Cry for Me, Venezuela | journal=New York Review of Books | month=October 6| url=http://www.nybooks.com/articles/18302] ref|va3Chávez utilized his charisma and flamboyant public speaking style—noted for its abundance of
colloquialism s and ribald manner—on the campaign trail to win the trust and favor of a primarily poor andworking class following. By May 1998, Chávez's support had risen to 30% in polls, and by August he was registering 39%. Chávez went on to win theCarter Center -endorsed 1998 presidential election onDecember 6 ,1998 with 56.2% of the vote.Harv|Guillermoprieto|2005] Harv|McCoy|Trinkunas|1999|p=49.]Results
Chávez won the
Carter Center -endorsed election onDecember 6 ,1998 with 56.2% of the vote.Participation was 63.76% (6,988,291 out of 10,959,530 registered voters)
See also
*
Politics of Venezuela
*List of political parties in Venezuela
*Venezuelan presidential election, 2000 References
* [http://www.georgetown.edu/pdba/Elecdata/Venezuela/pre98.html PDBA]
* [http://www.electionguide.org/resultsum/venezuelares3.htm IFES]
* [http://www.venezuelaanalysis.com All About Venezuela's Movement]
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