What is the current state of the right-wing political opposition?
After the defeat of the coup in 2002, there was a great debate among the opposition as to who was to blame. This is a welcome change, as it has usually been the left who have been divided after defeats! The opposition forces have great ideological differences, and have nothing to offer their supporters. “Chavez must go!”, they say. But, after him, what? There are different leaders, and it has been impossible to agree on a united opposition candidate for president. In 1998, the US forced them to present a united candidate, Salas Romer, but the right-wing parties would not accept him. Very few members of AD would accept the candidate from Primero Justicia, Julio Borges, for example. He is white, separated from the people, and is anti-women. Where does the middle class in Venezuela stand today? Frustrated at home. They lost a lot of money through their small commercial businesses [during the oil boycott and bosses’ lock-out of December 2002-February 2003 that aimed to destabilise the Chav
