Update Venezuela: The October 7, 2012, Presidential Elections
In one of the most closely watched elections in Latin America, Venezuelans will go to the polls on October 7, 2012, to choose a president for the next six-year term. With only weeks to go, most—but not all—polls show President Hugo Chávez leading his opponent, Henrique Capriles Radonski, who has posed the most serious challenge to Chávez since he took office in 1998.
Joining us to discuss the electoral context, the issues that are shaping voters’ choices, as well as the broader significance of this election for Venezuela’s future, were three distinguished experts:
· Luis Vicente León, Datanálisis, Caracas (León will present the results of the final Datanálisis poll prior to October 7)
· David Smilde, Associate Professor of Sociology, University of Georgia, and Senior Fellow, Washington Office on Latin America
· David Myers, Associate Professor of Political Science, Penn State University
We thank those who were able to join us for this important discussion.
Event Sponsors
Speakers
Hosted By
Latin America Program
The Wilson Center’s prestigious Latin America Program provides non-partisan expertise to a broad community of decision makers in the United States and Latin America on critical policy issues facing the Hemisphere. The Program provides insightful and actionable research for policymakers, private sector leaders, journalists, and public intellectuals in the United States and Latin America. To bridge the gap between scholarship and policy action, it fosters new inquiry, sponsors high-level public and private meetings among multiple stakeholders, and explores policy options to improve outcomes for citizens throughout the Americas. Drawing on the Wilson Center’s strength as the nation’s key non-partisan policy forum, the Program serves as a trusted source of analysis and a vital point of contact between the worlds of scholarship and action. Read more