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Venezuelan presidential election, 1998
In the Venezuelan presidential election of 1998, Hugo Chavez was elected to his first term as President of Venezuela with the largest percentage of the popular vote (56.2%) in four decades. He had run on an anti-corruption and anti-poverty platform, condemning the two major parties that had dominated Venezuelan politics since 1958.
Chavez's electoral platform
The Chavez platform comprised three basic pledges. First, Chavez promised that he would begin his presidency by abolishing Venezuela's old political system, puntofijismo, and opening up political power to independent and third parties. Second, Chavez promised to end corruption. Third, Chavez promised to eradicate poverty in Venezuela.
Chavez condemned the traditional two-party system that had dominated Venezuelan politics from 1958 up until the catastrophic riots and turmoil of 1992–1993. Until then, democratic transfers of power always occurred between the social democratic Accion Democratica and the Christian democratic Comite de Organizacion Politica Electoral Independente (COPEI), which together had garnered more than 90% of the votes in all elections held since 1973. Owing to his leftist agenda, the Chavez candidacy began a remarkable ascent. Chavez registered 30% in polls taken in May 1998; by August he was registering 39%.
Chavez's campaign
After a two-year imprisonment, Chavez was pardoned by President Rafael Caldera in 1994. Upon his release, Chavez immediately reconstituted the MBR-200 as the Fifth Republic Movement . Later, in 1998, Chavez began to campaign for the presidency. In working to gain the trust of voters, Chavez drafted an agenda that drew heavily on his interpretation of Bolivarianism. Chavez thus campaigned on an anti-corruption and anti-poverty platform, while pledging to dismantle puntofijismo, the traditional two-party patronage system.
Chavez utilized his charisma and flamboyant public speaking style—noted for its abundance of colloquialisms and ribald manner—on the campaign trail to win the trust and favor of a primarily poor and working class following. As Chavez's support gradually grew throughout 1998, he went on to win the Carter Center-endorsed 1998 presidential election on 6 December 1998 with 56.2% of the vote.
Results
Participation was 63.76%
See also
Politics of Venezuela
List of political parties in Venezuela
Venezuelan presidential election, 2000
References
PDBA
Election Guide International Foundation for Electoral Systems.
All About Venezuela's Movement
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