Venezuela is preparing for a critical presidential election on Oct. 7, and the United Socialist Party of Venezuela is in full mobilization to re-elect President Hugo Chávez. On July 25, PSUV militant and trade union leader, Francisco Torrealba, spoke at the 1199 SEIU headquarters in New York City about the upcoming electoral battle. Torrealba, who is the president of the Federation of Railway Workers, sat down for an interview with Liberation News prior to his address.
“I’ve come here to relay a message about what is truly taking place in Venezuela,” Torreabla stated. “Polls have been released that show Chávez has a clear 20 percent advantage over the opposition candidate, Henrique Capriles. At this point it is mathematically impossible for the opposition to win with this margin.” He noted that this had largely been omitted from coverage in the international media.
Chávez and the PSUV are carrying out the re-election effort through the Carabobo Campaign Command, a coalition of grassroots organizations, trade unions and leftist parties (including those that did not join the PSUV).
Their main job, Torrealba continued, is to ensure a high voter turnout. Given Chávez’s large advantage, some may not recognize the importance of voting. The Carabobo Campaign has announced a “1 x 10” initiative that makes each activist accountable for bringing at least 10 people to the polls.
Threat of destabilization effort
When the Venezuelan people overturned the 2002 right-wing coup, and returned Chávez to power, it was a powerful lesson that only the organization of the people can defeat the oligarchy and neoliberals.
Torrealba highlighted that there may be right-wing destabilization plans already in motion surrounding the upcoming election.
The National Election Council (CNE) decreed that all political candidates sign an agreement in advance stating that each candidate will recognize the election result. Of the eight running candidates, Capriles was the only one not to personally sign. Torrealba warned that this, in addition to the big business media’s refusal to mention Chávez’s lead in the polls, may be signs of a potential plot to declare fraud on Election Day. “We know how the right wing acts in Venezuela,” Torrealba explained—the people must remain on high alert.
Anti-worker opposition candidate
Capriles comes from one of the most affluent families in Venezuela, and his father brought Kraft Foods into the country. He makes no effort to hide his capitalist background, announcing on April 29 that unlike the other candidates, he would not join the May 1st International Worker’s Day celebrations. “I won’t participate because I’m an employer,” not a worker, Capriles explained.
Meanwhile, on May 1, the PSUV-led government enacted the New Organic Labor Law. This law reduces the workweek from 44 to 40 hours and mandates that each worker have the right to two consecutive days off. It also gives workers the power to impede any boss who attempts to liquidate employment positions or an entire business.
Capriles came out against the law, arguing that protecting business owners is the only way to strengthen the Venezuelan economy.
But the law is broadly popular among Venezuelan workers. Torrealba pointed to the fact that not one labor union in Venezuela, even those historically connected to the right-wing opposition, has come out in support of the Capriles campaign.
“The opposition, with the scripts they follow, have no chance of winning the election,” Torrealba said. “They have not been able to find a formula that would have the backing of the Venezuelan people, including with the strata that don’t consider themselves Chavistas.”
An important election for the Bolivarian process
“If we do not defend Chávez, all of our social gains will be lost. We must continue the fight against neo-liberalism,” Torrealba concluded. “A wide margin of victory in the elections will mean a consolidation of the Chávez presidency. It will be an irreversible victory.”
As Torrealba spoke in New York, supporters of the Venezuelan Revolution worldwide were celebrating the 229th anniversary of Simon Bolivar’s birth. This international day of solidarity emerged from the 18th Forum of Sao Paulo, which was held in Venezuela and included the participation of over 40 countries and a total of 600 representatives. Torrealba emphasized that the re-election of Chávez was an important contest for the development of Bolivar’s vision—Latin American unity.
“The media tries to distort the ideas of Simon Bolivar,” Torrealba said. “They ask me why we speak about him so much, and I tell them that the Venezuelan people are bringing him back to life. The Venezuelan people have decided to not forget.”
