Special Election in Venezuela Set on April 14

A week after the death of Socialist Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, a special election in Venezuela has been set on April 14 to complete his 6-year term that began in January 2013.

National Electoral Council President Tibisay Lucena announced the date of the elections a day after the late president’s funeral. Chávez wanted Vice President Nicolás Maduro to become his successor and encouraged his followers to support him in case a special election would be needed. The late president announced his plan for favored candidate, Maduro, during his surgery in Cuba in December 2012. Maduro is currently holding the position as the country’s Acting President.

Hugo Chávez, the Charismatic and Socialist President

The late Venezuelan President, Hugo Chávez, served the country for over 15 years. He lost the battle with cancer at the age of 58. The son of two school teachers, Chávez was a Roman Catholic who used to live in an adobe house and rose from poverty to change Venezuela. On December 6, 1998, he was elected as the youngest president in the country’s history. His government created a new constitution, which passed through voting on his first year in presidency. His Bolivarian Revolution aimed to reduce poverty, providing more access to education as well as health care.

The late President had a taste of criticism on issues such as inflation, crime, food shortage and the oil industry – where Venezuela is one of the largest foreign suppliers of oil for the U.S. It also has the world’s largest oil reserves. Chávez had his way of reaching out to his people with his charismatic approach – singing and dancing in his television show. He was a self-confessed critic of the United States during the Bush Administration. He claimed that the United States was a hindrance to his socialist-inspired revolution.

He had been battling with his health issues for the past two years until he passed away. He did not announce what type of cancer he was battling, but the late president has been telling the public that the tumor has been taken out. As early January 2013, Hugo Chávez was already too ill for his duties as president. He continued signing papers and attending meetings, but eventually suffered more health problems. Vice president Nicolas Maduro announced his death on March 5, 2013 at 4:25 pm.

The Protégé and the Opposition

While the Vice President and Acting President Nicolas Maduro is being supported by the late president’s supporters, the opposition has brought out its representative to compete against the former. Henrique Capriles is the state governor of Miranda, Venezuela’s second most populous state. Capriles lost against Chávez in the last election.

Maduro is considered as the favorite candidate because he harvested the perks of being Hugo Chávez’ political backup. His access to the government resources has given him an advantage in his campaigns, enjoying an impressive voter turnout program. Capriles is the country’s youngest legislator at the age of 26. He would have been the youngest president if he had won against Chávez. Capriles considers himself as a humanist and centrist, focusing more on businessmen and investors. Both aspirants will have to register for the election on March 11.