The 2008 election day events post

20:40

OK, condition to open champagne: at least 6 of the just mentioned list.

20:39

A cold headed source who was pessimistic thinks we might have won in Nueva Esparta, Zulia, Tachira, Sucre, Merida, Guarico, Miranda, Barinas, Carabobo, and Caracas at large. I got from someone else the same info, also telling me we lost Yaracuy.

If this is true we are seeing 9 states plus Caracas. Not exactly my nightmare scenario for Chavez but certainly enough to require lexotamil.

AGAIN!!! Do not open your champagne yet!!!!! this is just rumors that are getting more trustworthy but still rumors.

18:54

My brother reports 337. That is 65% participation and still voting. That is the kind of turnout Ocariz needs.

18:34

"El carometro" of Ledezma makes me optimistic for Caracas. "Carometro" is a local political term where we measure the expression on the face of folks to decide whether they won. The "carometro" of Muller Roajs of the PSUV was nto very good. Then again in their frame of mind losing one election is one too many anyway. We, democrats, do not suffer of such angst. Well, we are pissed when we lose but we also understand when we do not win all we thought we would do. At least in democratic countries, not this one where the government has an incredibly unfair advantage and we must be happy with the scrapes that we are allowed to get.

18:20

I have been told that Yaracuy is lost. No surprise. I have restrained myself to write about Yaracuy because I cannot be objective. I am so angry at the ways Lapi and his supporters have behaved, thinking only in the return of Lapi even if that would screw us. As I was voting I realized that it was lost in Yaracuy: I had to help too many people to vote and I saw way, way too many people wondering about how to vote. This in a center that always vote 4 to 1 against Chavez. The only explanation is that the Lapi/Capdevielle people were too busy fighting each other to worry about voter registration and education. Well, at least it is the end of Convergencia and Lapi. Capdevielle never had much of a chance anyway.