Opinion
The incredible thing in polls findings is not that President Hugo Chávez is losing popularity, but he keeps it at significant, even majority levels. It is not logic at all in a country where death has become a common place and a scourge which affects not only the rich, but particularly, the poor, that people continue trusting in the main individual responsible for such situation.

The same is true for health, employment, education and crisis of public utilities. Venezuela is a country swamped with misery, dirt, gloom and doom. However, most of the people believe in Chávez. One could attribute this position to ignorance, unawareness or masochism, because there is not way to understand otherwise conformism, or even satisfaction that somebody can feel when going to a hospital and not being taken care of; for the rubbish accumulated at the door of his house; for lack of water supply for three months and for having a burned refrigerator due to a blackout.

But this would be a very easy reasoning that fails to go straight to the point, that is, while Chávez loses popularity, almost nobody in the opposition wins it. Those who stop trusting in Chávez and those who have not given up hope cannot find in political parties or their leaders any alternative that make them believe and feel that things not only can, but should be better.

I do not mean to detract from dissenting state governors and mayors who, no matter all the government and State power at odds, are doing a good job that people little by little have appreciated. What is more, if a national leader is to emerge will be from there, as there is not better rationale that showing the work done at the time of applying for votes.

It is just that these choices have not consolidated. Even though (Miranda state governor Henrique) Capriles Radonsky, (Caracas Metropolitan Mayor Alfredo) Ledezma, (Sucre Municipality Mayor Carlos) Ocariz, (Chacao Municipality Mayor Emilio) Graterón, (Zulia state governor) Pablo Pérez or (Táchira state governor César) Pérez Vivas enjoy the majority support of their governed ones, they are not a national political alternative to the worst government in all the Venezuelan history. In any case, they cannot do much ahead of the next elections for Congress. There are also the students. But they need some time and, given the upcoming elections, this is something that lacks.

Anyhow, only by creating a single structure that pools true community leaders and by producing a legislative program which means a true alternative for change, the evils taken as something natural and unavoidable will be overcome. Will they make it? Sometimes I think they will not.
rgiusti@eluniversal.com

Translated by Conchita Delgado