WaPo Coverage Of UNSC Balloting

The Washington Post calls the surprisingly lopsided voting results between Venezuela and Guatemala in the Security Council balloting a slap in the face for (T)Hugo Chavez. Prior to the actual voting, many experts had been predicting a walkover for the budding dictator. Alas for (T)Hugo, it appears to be a losing proposition.

Delegates at the United Nations had predicted that Venezuela would easily receive enough support for the seat, but the opening ballot showed Guatemala ahead 114 to 74. Venezuela gained votes through the day but never did better than a 93 to 93 tie with Guatemala. Afterward, several envoys expressed surprise that Venezuela had fared so poorly.

The result came as a relief to the United States, which had lobbied actively on behalf of Guatemala. Chavez's government, U.S. officials warned, would play a destructive role on the council, lending its support to those countries, including Iran, Sudan and North Korea, that have defied the United Nations.

It also represented a personal blow to Chavez, who had run a costly political campaign that involved millions of dollars in aid to poor countries as well as state visits to Russia, China and the Middle East.

Chavez may have undercut his country's chances with a provocative speech last month before the General Assembly, in which he described President Bush as "the devil." And once-solid support for Venezuela in South America, from countries including Chile and Paraguay, wavered after Chavez's government entered into a military pact with Bolivia, which has lost territory to both those countries.

That Chavez is a ham-handed interventionist in Latin America is really damaging him. That he is a boorish thug in the halls of the UN may be what really sank him. Judging by the way the balloting has progressed, there will have to be a compromise candidate unless Guatemala can secure an additional 15 votes. Since Chavez appears to have the dictator vote sewn up, that may be difficult. Where this really may damage Chavez is in the upcoming presidential election, however:

Alberto Garrido, an author and analyst in Caracas who has written several books on Chavez, said the vote is a serious setback for Chavez's campaign to project Venezuelan influence beyond Latin America.

Venezuela has bought foreign debt from Argentina, sold crude oil at cut-rate prices to smaller Caribbean islands and provided aid to Africa — all efforts designed, in part, to counter U.S. influence.

"This is a big setback in Chavez's strategy," said Garrido, whose latest book, "Chavez's Wars," deals with the president's conflicts with the Bush administration and other foes. "He had a plan to become the institutionalized voice of the south, if he had gotten that seat. This is a blow, perhaps the biggest blow in his geopolitical strategy."

In Venezuela, the government's failure to secure a seat was called "an embarrassing defeat" by Manuel Rosales, who is running against Chavez in December's presidential election. The president retains the support of a majority of Venezuelans, recent polls have shown, but opponents accuse him of ignoring spiraling crime, chronic unemployment and poverty while he focuses on making a name for himself abroad.

Note that it is Venezuelans criticizing Chavez. That could be a serious danger sign for him. One hopes.

UPDATE: Others: Publius, Wizbang, A Blog For All, Tigerhawk, Babalu, Fausta,

UPDATE: Tuesday voting still has Guatemala far ahead at 107-76, 8 abstentions.

Other Links to this Post

1. Publius Pundit - Blogging the democratic revolution — Tuesday, 17 October , 2006 @ 10:41 am