Excerpts of column "Runrunes" (Rumors) of Thursday, October 18

High

HOLSTER PISTOL. A well connected informant has told me that the designation of Juan Carlos Loyo (as the new Minister of Lands) is not a token in recognition of his previous management, let alone pardon. He said that President Hugo Chávez has fallen short of pieces amidst the frontal internal struggle among the members of the government apparatus, particularly spurred by the financial manna of state-run oil holding Petróleos de Venezuela (Pdvsa) and the president's health condition. Loyo's comeback to the Ministry of Lands is an extreme political move: to shield the nomination of (ex Vice-President) Elías Jaua for Miranda state government. The armor is to prevent any leakage from that ministry that may politically smash Jaua's candidacy. In the next nine weeks, Loyo will be the logistical and financial aide of the Juaua-Miranda project. Remember that Jaua stood in for Loyo as the acting minister when Chávez dismissed Loyo on January 29 for "health reasons." 

HARD TO BELIEVE IT. A serious contributor in our portal www.runrun.es who writes under the pseudonym of Cefas due to his proximity to the red, very red process- upholds in his latest article that the caudillo has postulated "national reconciliation." The United Socialist Party of Venezuela (Psuv) feels that the 1,791,278 votes missing in the ballot of the ruling party, which got 6,345,686 (43.09% out of the total) "are not political capital of those ranks but votes of the people who disown the Psuv and would rather vote Chávez in another ballot." They cherish to retake the governments of Lara, Nueva Esparta and Zulia (nowadays in the hands of the opposition), and find it very difficult to prevail in Miranda, Táchira, Mérida and Anzoátegui. His confidences include the call made by the president at 11:00 a.m. on October 7 to each of the 24 heads of the state campaign teams to "instruct" them to take voters to polling stations. Cefas hinted that Rizarrita (outgoing Minister of Information and Communication Andrés Izarra) would go to an embassy. The oil money will be used one more time to organize people, government and military officers (the National Guard was ordered to mobilize pro-government voters) for one purpose only: "giving the commander the presidency for life."

Intermediate

BEAT HIM AGAIN. The main goal is beating (ex presidential candidate running for reelection in Miranda state government) Henrique Capriles Radonski to wipe him off the national political map. They will use the parallel funds fed by the oil money in an attempt at finishing off his leadership. As a Vice-President, Elías Jaua got ready by tracking down billionaire funds and keeping a giant amount of household appliances from the agreement under the Chinese Fund to be apportioned among low-income areas of Miranda state. In this way, the vote of the recipients would be secured. A military officer informed me that in La Guaira port there are three ships waiting to unload more Haier household appliances for the election campaign of the former Vice-President. According to the handbook of the Francisco de Miranda Front Election Strategy, "we scheduled the voting on December 16, with school holidays beginning on December 12, using the excuse that schools operate as pooling stations, for the middle class to start traveling on Christmas time, thus losing a large amount of votes in Miranda state for the opposition candidate." In that state, the middle class is important to secure Capriles Radonski's victory and also help, later on, in 2013, several mayors, including those of Caracas. Forewarned is forearmed...

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