Students, troops clash in Venezuela over election

[frigidmagi]

Yahoo

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — National Guard troops are firing tear gas and plastic bullets to disperse students protesting the official results in Venezuela's disputed presidential election.

The students are hurling chunks of concrete and stones back at the troops on a highway in the capital of Caracas.
The students are trying to reach the western part of Caracas, where most of the government is headquartered and where Nicolas Maduro is being declared winner of Sunday's election to replace the deceased Hugo Chavez.

Citizens around the capital also are banging pots and pans to protest the proclamation of Maduro as the victor.
Opposition candidate Henrique Capriles has challenged his narrow loss to Maduro and is demanding a recount.

Chavez's chosen successor Maduro won by 1.7% of the vote, amid reports of irregularities and intimidation. His opponent has demanded a recount. Bluntly it seems without Chavez there, his party is having problems maintaining a hold on power.

[General Havoc]

My read, based on what I saw from Venezuela, is that Maduro probably did win the election by some small margin. Fraud happens in every vote, but I don't think this one shifted the result.

That said, Chavez' last election polled at 62% of the electorate. Maduro gave up ten points.

[frigidmagi]

When they did a poll about a month about Maduro was 8 points ahead. I don't what he did, but it must have been an amazing fuck up.