In a twisty, legalese mumbo jumbo decision, the Venezuelan Supreme Court ruled that it can not execute the decision by the OAS Interamerican Human Rights Court (CIDH) on Leopoldo Lopez because, according to this temple of wisdom, Leopoldo Lopez has political rights, he can vote, he founded a political party and the like, but has this little matter of an “adminisitrative ban” that “temporarily” prohibits him from holding office and this is simply a mechanism to guarantee “public ethics” (no joke!) and he can participate in political events.
I can not say I am surprised, but I was surprised that Chavez criticized the CIDH but not the decision, which gave me a glimmer of hope that they would let Leopoldo Lopez run.
Lopez now has to think carefully what he wants to do, the MUD has allowed him to register for the primary, but this will only create confusion given that the CNE will not let him register if he wins. He is now the kingmaker if he backs someone else. Any candidate can say that he/she will name Lopez as Vice-President, once elected he can receive a pardon.
More interestingly, the Chavez Government has once again decided to move step forward in severing its relations with the rest of the world. The fact that the Venezuelan Government went to the Court and fought there meant that it had to abide by the decision, there are no excuses now. Venezuela will now have problems in international organizations and Chavez will have to forget about Mercosur and will be severely criticized at the OAS.
Another step by the Dictator to violate the rights of Venezuelans. More abuse of power. Another sad day in Venezuela in a long string of them.
The Devil's Excrement 
October 18, 2011 at 5:48 pm
Hallelujah…and mazel tov.
Lopez RIGHTLY proclaimed today that he’s running:
http://news.yahoo.com/hugo-chavez-opponent-says-wont-bow-race-193937286.html
This is the guy with the cojones to get VZ back on track.
October 18, 2011 at 10:24 am
PD. y de paso omití meterme contigo por mensaje de Miss Venezuela. Así que
(no te quejes) ^2.
October 18, 2011 at 1:52 pm
Sorry, pero cuando alguien combina cejas falsas, dos tonos de Igotint rojo rojito, y una blusa de leopardo, se está buscando un comentario feo.
October 18, 2011 at 2:15 pm
Solo falta que se ponga a cantar como la tigresa del oriente.
October 18, 2011 at 9:41 pm
Juan, estás super informado, mira que Igotint! Yo no oía eso desde hace más de treinta años! Jaja, se te cayó la cédula.
No seas tan selectivo, no todo el mundo puede tener el pelo rojo natural…LOL.
October 18, 2011 at 10:22 am
Juan, ya regañé a Miguel con lo de la contralora, así que no te quejes!
October 18, 2011 at 9:54 am
My first thought upon seeing your post:
Hay que ver que Leopoldo es bien buenmozo!
Sorry for the shallowness, but I couldn’t help it. No wonder Chávez and company do so many things to prevent him for running….
October 18, 2011 at 10:01 am
How shallow of, you, Do you mean you would not vote for the Contralora Encargada?
http://www.noticierodigital.com/2011/10/contralora-reitera-que-leopoldo-lopez-tiene-una-limitacion-temporal-para-ejercer-cargos-publicos/
October 18, 2011 at 10:09 am
I thought that was the new Miss Venezuela.
October 18, 2011 at 10:19 am
Oh, that’s mean, Miguel. Remember that I am also a feminist…
I don’t know if I’ll vote for LL, I haven’t decide it, but he is definitely colirio para los ojos.
BTW Here’s a very funny Chiguire title
http://www.elchiguirebipolar.net/12-10-2011/gobernador-mucho-menos-atractivo-que-leopoldo-lopez-lanza-su-campana/
October 18, 2011 at 10:24 am
That was not mean at all. You have a right not to vote if you dont like somebody’s hair or clothes. Or were you referring to something else?
October 18, 2011 at 10:14 am
BTW, Bruni, me extraña araña en tí. Creo que si yo hubiese hecho un comentario similar acerca de alguna candidata femenina, me hubieses brincado encima … No es por criticarte, simplemente para que veas que la química es la química.
October 18, 2011 at 5:05 pm
The problem with much of feminism nowadays,is that they forget the golden rule 🙂
October 18, 2011 at 2:14 pm
He and Irene Saez have so much in common. I just hate to think what happened to her political career….just saying.
October 17, 2011 at 10:22 pm
there will be a primary under smartmartic and that’s all she wrote
October 17, 2011 at 10:34 pm
Well, GWEH, I’ve inputted all your stated variables into my smartmatic (the home version) and wouldn’t you know, as quick as a wink, it just printed this out: “los comentarios de GWEH no son computables”.
October 17, 2011 at 10:21 pm
listen to you folks already talking about elections…I bet you can savor the victory. Triumphalism will get you nowhere. How are you going to win against smartmatic? Do you know smartmatic was upgraded to the tune of US $50M this year and you think you are going to win? The opposition has A LOT of work ahead of did you forget the RR, mesa de negociacion, etc.? Think before you write. You cannot go presidential with Antonio Mugica and company.
October 17, 2011 at 10:15 pm
there is not going to be a presidential election much less one running smartmatic so whatever talk of leopoldo running is mute. OK I let the cat out of the bag go ahead and shoot me.
October 17, 2011 at 7:26 pm
This a joke… Somehow it doesn’t make me laugh.
October 17, 2011 at 9:09 pm
“There Are Three Kinds of People – Those Who Can Count and Those Who Can’t”
October 17, 2011 at 6:29 pm
López has to run, and he will run. But he won´t win the primary.
October 17, 2011 at 6:50 pm
Another scenario: chavistas are ordered to participate massively on the primaries and vote for López. He wins the primaries and is allowed to run, but TSJ says if he wins, he won’t be allowed to be sworn in (at least until 2014). The MUD gets a candidate that loses even if he wins. The MUD divides…
October 17, 2011 at 9:03 pm
Boo. “chavistas ordered- to vote for Lopez- that will not happen..
October 17, 2011 at 6:07 pm
“The MUD has allowed him to register for the primary, but this will only create confusion given that the CNE will not let him register if he wins.”
The hell with confusion–this is the only way to bring about change. He HAS to run:
1) I would bet dollars to doughnuts that Capriles wants him in the race. Capriles isn’t a greedy power- seeker–he wants what’s best for VZ, even if that means Lopez wins the primaries. It’s a win-win for Capriles anyway, because showing his sincere support for Lopez’s rights is a plus for democracy. Even if Capriles comes in second and Lopez is later CNE-disallowed, Capriles is the candidate anyway. In this scenario, Capriles’ continued denunciation of CNE’s decision against Lopez cements those Lopez votes for him. Capriles voyes + Lopez votes = Chavez defeat.
2) Alternate scenario is Lopez wins, and all hell breaks loose if the CNE denies him the right to register as a candidate. How the fuck can a supposedly “democratic” government deny the will/votes of the people?
The Chavistas have inadvertently handed the opposition a loaded pistol with this one, and the opposition has to have the balls to pick that weapon up.
Lopez HAS to run.
Last but not least, having Lopez out there stumping on the campaign trail and pointing out Chavez’s crimes and inadequacies can only be a good thing. Even if he fails in the primary against Capriles, his exposure over the next few months could bring about a REAL political dialogue that can bring Chavez down.
October 17, 2011 at 9:01 pm
Agreed =Lopez should keep on running as he is doing..
The last paragraph is so true- “exposing Chavez’s crimes and inadequacies”
I hope Lopez ends up taking Nicholas Maduro’s job -for example…
October 17, 2011 at 5:57 pm
I think this is all a plan, and in typical Chavista style (two steps forward and one step back). Chavez will wait his time and then in a couple of months he will surely overturn the TSJ decision a short time before the primaries to torpedo the MUD. Everybody will be unhappy but himself…
October 17, 2011 at 4:50 pm
Miguel some day, sooner than later, ethics and moral will be the backbone of our country, at least that is my wishful thinking
October 17, 2011 at 4:47 pm
I’m very confused…
http://www.eluniversal.com/nacional-y-politica/111017/morales-lopez-puede-participar-en-las-elecciones
October 17, 2011 at 5:32 pm
Satanic strategy….
October 17, 2011 at 5:50 pm
This is very tricky (it looks to me that Carlos Escarra’s “stuffed hand” is involved because of the level of legal fabrication).
I believe that they left this window open (the possibility of being registered as a candidate) in order to have Leopoldo in the race under totally uncertainty (the TSJ hinted that he is not able to be appointed as a President if he wins, but they actually didn´t decided about it) and, if Leopoldo decides to continue, it will make other candidates and the MUD disappointed and, consequently, divided…
I think he is smart, and he will not run (sad but wise).
October 17, 2011 at 5:52 pm
Simple: He can, but he can’t because I won’t let him.
HCF
October 17, 2011 at 6:19 pm
The confusion is just another way of taking people’s minds off the real problems of the country. BTW, the Contralora General (I didn’t know that the successor to Ruffian had already been named by the AN; wasn’t it supposed to be with a 2/3 vote?) said that Lopez never proved himself innocent of the charges of corruption. I didn’t know that a person had to prove himself innocent; I thought it was the other way around, i.e. that the person is presumed innocent until proven guilty!!! But then, everything is “al reves” in Venezuela!!!
October 17, 2011 at 4:34 pm
This could also be used as a legal way to purify the system during a transition government. For example, LL could state something like, the TSJ is now vulnerable to be taken to international court, let’s see if the CNE does the same or adheres to the constitution. By doing this with each institution, LL can establish those who have to leave office once constitutional order is restored.
—
October 17, 2011 at 3:50 pm
I disagree. The people of Venezuela fought a lot from 2000-2002 and because of bad leadership, they lost and got tired.The leadership is still bad. The people of Egyp, Syria and Lybia put up with Dictators for years, so they are not clearly a great example.
October 17, 2011 at 4:08 pm
For several decades, actually…forever, in reality.
October 17, 2011 at 3:33 pm
The people of Liba, Syria and Egypt have and in the case of Syria contine in determining their human rights. How did these people do this; one simple answer and that is by throwing out the dictators and the cronies who deprived them of those rights.
What does the majority of the people in Venezuela do? That is also a simple answer. Nothing but whine and exclaim “Oh look at us how bad it has become here. Perhaps one day Chavez will die from cancer or someone else will be elected and save us.”
Perhaps the following quote says it best:
“What is freedom? Freedom is the right to choose: the right to create for yourself the alternatives of choice. Without the possibility of choice and the exercise of choice a man is not a man but a member, an instrument, a thing.”
— Archibald MacLeish
Hopefully, one day the people of Venezuela will also understand what freedom is all about once again.
October 17, 2011 at 3:46 pm
this is not Libia, Syria or Egypt. It is a totally different culture. Im sorry to say that Venezuelans what care about who has the money. I wish I had the statistics but i BET there is a huge quantity of richer people in Venzuela than before. Those are the real apatridas…are sucking up the countries wealth. This new ricos are enjoying there money in Europe, USA and ASIA. As they truly know freedom to do it here or things they can have or use will not be available here. teh slogan is ; make money in Venezuela and travel elsewhere to spend it.. Freedom my ass. Not in thsi generation!!!
October 17, 2011 at 3:17 pm
no brainer my friend….MUD has to take the guy out!!! Other efforst will jeopardize the “unidad”.
October 17, 2011 at 3:47 pm
I think he should step aside on his own and don’t put the MUD in that situation. He would look like a gentleman and it would be much better for the future of his political career.
He’ll be president in 12 years.
October 17, 2011 at 3:50 pm
agree on teh approach. do not knwo if I can predict he will be president in 12 years
October 17, 2011 at 2:15 pm
Miguel saludos, are you surprised The decision of the Supreme Court, in my desicion not take it Hugo Chavez, before leaving on a trip to Cuba, these gentlemen members of the Supreme Court in their great majority are not trained to integrate a court of that height, as they lack therefore credentials: Academic and expertise, coupled with the lack of: Ethics and Morals, to be in, as demonstrated with the Food ticket Bs were allocated 10 000 per month, on the other hand they are all members of PSUV, and are in such positions to defend the robolution, and nothing else.
October 17, 2011 at 2:03 pm
It’s all a moot point if HCF doesn’t make it to the election.
I really feel kind of bad for Lopez – all the fighting over this issue which should never have been an issue in the first place only to now come to the end with nothing.
I agree that he will make an excellent VP. It will be interesting to see who he will support & how long it will take him to make a decision.
On a side note I read somewhere that AD is holding “secret” meetings to decide where they will put their support. Haven’t these dinosaurs not learned anything in the last 13 years? It just never ceases to amaze me how small minded & egotistical they are. Don’t their party members have a say?
October 17, 2011 at 4:22 pm
It could be kind of naive from me, but wouldn’t it be natural for AD to endorse Antonio Ledezma? Is he still part of AD or not?
October 17, 2011 at 4:38 pm
It’s ok, I got it. He founded his own party Alianza Bravo Pueblo in 2000.
it’s funny how in his web page they are very careful not to mention AD in his resume…
October 17, 2011 at 1:56 pm
Hola Miguel. the decision was, of course, to be expected.
Decision or not, Leo is the king maker since the day the CIDH announced its decision. And THAT is what has chavista panties in a wad.