UPDATE 3
So today it is the swearing in of the new assembly and chavismo is already displaying its sectarian nature, and I will update this post as needed.
The first step was to take over the National Pantheon just for the use of "bolivarian" representatives who went to swear that Bolivar, Socialism, the Revolution and themselves as a single one. Obviouly the absence of the opposition representatives there must imply to the simple minded that they spit on Bolivar's grave.....
Globovision was of course banned from any coverage of the National Assembly installation.
Two representatives are banned from sitting today through judicial manipulation. Maybe, but they are also refusing their substitutes to be sworn in!!!! So we can already suspect foul play ahead since at least for today the National assembly will give two "extra votes" to chavismo!!!!!
Updated as needed.
FIRST UPDATE
According to the Washington Post the State department seems to be caving in to Chavez. Read today's editorial, very appropriate to read as democracy is trampled at the view of all. The US do not seem to care much and just want to make sure that oil goes up North and that its produced food goes down South. Who cares about Human rights in Venezuela!!!
Am I wrong Hillary? Please, I'd love to stand corrected!
SECOND UPDATE
So the installation proceded. nothing worth reproting that was not unexpected. However what was unexpected even for me was the speech of the new speaker, followed a few minutes later by the press declarations of the two vicepresidents.
As far as extreme militant speech and a collection of old cliches, some quite undigested, and the sheer abysmal ignorance of the Speaker and Eekout, this will remain unrivaled for quite a while, even within chavismo.
I mean, you need to worry when the fate of the country is in the hands of the like as Soto and Eekout, even if generously you woudl be willing to assume that they believe only, say, 20% of the garbage they said (recited in the case of Soto who read from notes a speech that was painfully obvious not of his making).
THIRD UPDATE
by the way, the assembly started by a constitutional violation finding a way to make sure that the two representatives "on trial" could not be seated. No details worth giving here, read my note below. We got what we asked for when we give chavismo a low easy slow ball.
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Note on the banned representatives. I am on record somewhere in saying that it was a mistake for the opposition to nominate so many candidates just to get them out of jail. That might has been a stimulus for opposition voters but I doubt it (well, maybe in Caracas, Valencia and Maracaibo at most because in San Felipe nobody really gives a you know what).
Already at nomination time the regime played with that and caused some problems inside the opposition when some of the names were barred then. Still, the MUD of the opposition persisted in naming several who were under trial instead of focusing on a single one as a powerful symbol. As a consequence the regime has managed to all but disbar two of them with mock trials and all sorts of legal violations risking the MUD to lose its already precious 2/5 block!!!!
So I can tell you "I told you so!". I hate it when the MUD thinks that all of Venezuela responds to the same stimulus as Caracas does pavloviany. Apologies for that horrendous new word......