Social programs are the flagship of the Chavez administration's popularity parade. They are the daily reminder that Chavez is for the people, and actively working for the people. When you get involved in working for or benefiting from these services, you generally get a red Chavez supporting T-shirt. How popular are these programs?
The opposition candidate has them as well. Check em out for yourself - Rosales, the governor of Zulia and main opposition candidate, has Zulia's bizarro social programs in response to Chavez. For example, instead of Mision Mercal (cheaper govt. subsidized supermarkets), Zulia has Mezul (same thing I should assume). Instead of the wildly popular Barrio Adentro medical clinics, Zulia has Barrio a Barrio (the same, ostensibly).
What does all this mean? Simple. In order to run in Venezuela you must tilt left, and offer social programs. It's almost ironic that Rosales is the candidate offering the free debit cards, Mi Negra, to people filled with free, delicious, populist kickback money. Is Rosales more left than Chavez? Hardly, but it is a commentary on where the Venezuelan electorate is thought to be now.
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