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At the moment, the Venezuelan presidential elections are slated for October 7. But given Chávez’s failing health, a lot could change between now and then.
In fact, the uncertainty surrounding Chávez’s health has compelled his party to start planning for the possibility that their candidate might not make it through the elections.
Behind closed doors, the so-called “Carabobo Command” has begun preparing for three scenarios they could face come October: Chávez could be severely weakened by his cancer, the elections could be suspended — or Chávez could be dead.
As part of these preparations, the campaign has created an anti-coup command, led by Diosdado Cabello, to collect intelligence on a possible coup against the government.
Wilmer Castro, the coordinator of the Planning Commission and Evaluation Command, told the party’s regional campaign managers about these activities earlier this week. This announcement came as a surprise given that the official word from Miraflores has been that Chávez is on the road to recovery and confident of a victory in October.
Responding to reports that PSUV was considering postponing the vote if Chávez is not able to run, Opposition Deputy Juan Carlos Caldera warned that failure to have an election would be unconstitutional.
“Venezuelans cannot depend on the fact that the incumbent president is running or not as candidate. The presidential election will be held on October 7, with or without Hugo Chávez as a candidate,” he said.
These developments come on the heels of an eight day silence from Chávez while undergoing cancer treatment in Cuba, during which he only communicated through Twitter messages. The lack of any appearances by Chávez had sparked rumors of a worsening physical condition and even the president’s own death.
In an effort to quell these reports, earlier this week Chávez undertook a number of activities to show his vitality to the Venezuelan people, including releasing videos, photos and calling into to state television networks.
