This article first appeared in the Cuban newspaper Granma. The largest gathering in the history of Venezuela took place Sunday in Caracas.
As many as two million people gathered in Caracas Sunday in support of the reelection campaign of Venezuelan
President Hugo Chávez, estimated Caracas Mayor Freddy Bernal, reported Prensa Latina.
Chávez reminded his supporters that when he first won the presidency in 1998 he received 54 percent of the vote; 56 percent in the election following approval of a new constitution in 2000; and 60 percent in a recall referendum in 2004. The charismatic leader said he hopes to top those votes in the Sunday, Dec. 3 vote.
Chavez said he would dedicate his victory to the 50th anniversary of the landing of the Granma yacht that carried an expeditionary force of Cubans and internationalists from Mexico to Cuba led by Fidel Castro, who would go on to topple the Batista dictatorship.
The Venezuelan leader told his followers to be wary of any attempts of the undemocratic opposition not to recognize the election results. In that light, he called on the Ministries of Interior, Justice and Defense “to be on alert.”
“We must be ready to prevent any acts of sabotage,” said Chávez. He called on the authorities and workers to guard important infrastructure such as electricity plants and communications centers.
“If I lose the elections, I’ll come out immediately to recognize my defeat,” said Chávez adding, “It would be good if the opposition candidates do the same.”
However, the president noted that his adversaries haven’t done so in the past, which may mean “they are preparing to reject the electoral results.” Chávez said nobody should let the guard down “until we consolidate the victory.”
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