Chavez was a kleptocrat? Wow, way off topic, but it tells me all I need to know about your world view.
This is a funny response that I often get on the internet considering I myself am considered to be rather leftist. It is a funny tendency how leftists defend "Socialist leaders" like Chavez in droves just because they think Chavez advocated for socialist ideals similar to their own. The reality is Chavez and his successor are more similar to Robert Mugabe than the mythical champion of socialism that various youtube documentaries have convinced you.
The right in Venezuela has been dead for awhile now, Chavez made sure of that years ago. (Interestingly, they moved to Alberta to work in the oil industry!) The former opposition leader in the previous two elections, Henrique Capriles, is center-left and advocates for Brazilian style social democracy. If you wanted to see a true leftist leader take power in Venezuela, you would have desired to see Capriles win the elections. Ergo, the past elections saw a significant shift in Chavez/Maduro's support; many left-wing Chavistas who put Chavez in power originally shifted to an actual leftish leader in Capriles, alongside with the Venezuelan youth whose voting pattern landslided in favor of Capriles.
As to Chavez and his successor Maduro being a kleptocrat, they only advocate for populist policies, whatever it takes to consolidate and retain power. Between 2009 and 2011 when I lived in the country, I've seen them pass both far-right straight up fascist policies and far-left policies. The
Bolivarian revolution replaced the existing 'bourgeoisie' with a class of Chavista bourgeoisie filled with members of the ruling party and their friends and families, given governmental and bureaucratic jobs and positions. What subsequently followed was a mass-robbing of Venezuela's wealth both from the country and from the nationalized businesses. Yes the country is by definition a kleptocracy, the ruling class are kleptocrats.
Now I am seeing Maduro destroy the country, inflation has skyrocketed, there is nothing in stores; not even toilet-paper, people can't afford food, basic infrastructure is failing, and crime continues to go up. And this isn't even going into the massive influence Cuba has on Venezuela today, there are some rather dainty parallels to colonialism in Cuban-Venezuelan relations.
Forgive me if I don't continue this conversation however. Not only is it off-topic, it is too personal to me. I've lived in Venezuela for two years and experienced enough that I don't ever intend on returning to the country and over the past year I have lost my mother to Venezuela as well. She has become overly engrossed with all news coming from Venezuela in a vile and extremely partisan manner. I've spent the past year avoiding my own mother because every moment with her is a discussion of what 'Maduro did today' or other similar scandals. Perhaps I'm being melodramatic but I would say it's one of the contributing factors as to why I decided to move out of my parents home. Not talking or thinking about Venezuela makes me a happier person.
