Riots and protests have erupted in Venezuela over disputed presidential election results. But The New York Times blames “brutal capitalism” as the root cause of the socialist regime’s economic woes and political chaos.
Venezuela dictator Nicolás Maduro declared that he won last Sunday’s presidential election and would begin his third six-year term. Maduro’s claim was immediately challenged by opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez and his supporters. On Monday, the opposition disclosed it has evidence to show that opposition candidate González received 6.3 million votes and Maduro got only 2.8 million. According to The Wall Street Journal, “The U.S., European Union, and Latin American nations have pressured the Venezuelan government to address widespread accusations of fraud after polls showed Maduro would suffer a defeat of more than 25 percentage points.”
The Venezuelan people reacted to Maduro’s victory declaration with protests and riots. The Daily Mail reported, “Thousands of enraged protesters flooded the streets of the capital and several other cities, chanting ‘Freedom, freedom!’ and ‘This government is going to fall!’ as they set fire to tires and rubbish and organized barricades to block police vehicles. … Around the country, at least two statues of Hugo Chavez, the late socialist icon who led the country for more than a decade and handpicked Maduro as his successor, were knocked down by protesters.”
The New York Times, commenting on the disputed election, blames Venezuela’s social unrest and economic problems on capitalism: “If the election decision holds and Mr. Maduro remains in power, he will carry Chavismo, the country’s
