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Tehran, Iran -- Election promises in Mexico are a reminder that democratic debate has given way to the marketing of fear. In turn, empty one-liners have replaced doctrines, platforms and serious business plans. However, there is no ideological alternative to stand against sound market economies and an interconnected world.
Venezuela’s recent referendum was about a substantial concentration of executive powers in the office of the Venezuelan president. The question was whether it is a good idea to remove democratic safeguards in the Venezuelan constitution, embolden the president, and trust him to such an extent that term limits ought to be removed. It was not a vote about political doctrines of the traditional “right” (often mistaken for capitalism) in contrast to the “left” and populist-socialist measures.
The referendum was defeated by a very narrow margin. The votes in favor were split: those that favoured such changes were typically from rural, poor areas while the opposition was from the city dwellers that have a higher standard of living.
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