Chavez Fails to Steal Election

In a bit of a shock, Venezuelan strongman Hugo Chavez failed to steal the election that would have made him more or less dictator for life:

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) - President Hugo Chavez suffered a stinging defeat in a vote on constitutional changes that would have let him run for re-election indefinitely, the chief of National Electoral Council said Monday.

Voters defeated the sweeping measures by a vote of 51 percent to 49 percent, Tibisay Lucena said.

He clearly was not cut out to be a full-fledged dictator since he was unable to swing a 2 percentage point loss into a landslide victory.

Let this be a lesson to other candidates who are thought to be "inevitable".

UPDATE: This election reminded me a bit of the special election in California about a year ago when the Governator tried to push through three major constitutional amendments and was slapped down by the voters. Both Chavez and Swarzenegger tried to convince the electorate with the power of their personalities and perhaps an overestimation of their popularity. Arnold wasn't promoting the changes to make himself "governor-for-life", but many in the opposition saw it that way.