#jacob lundgren

Many members of the Venezuelan Diaspora plan to return to Venezuela if Chávez leaves office. This is increasingly likely since he has had treatment for cancer recently and many believe Chávez is not honest about his health. Websites offer advice to members of the Venezuelan diaspora about where to live and encourage people to return to the homeland eventually.

Advice Website

A presidential election is coming up in October 2012, some people hope for the ouster of Chávez, especially those in the diaspora. Chávez will be running against Henrique Capriles Radonski, a candidate that wants Venezuelans abroad to return. Those citizens living abroad still have the right to vote in the upcoming elections. Many think the diasporic vote can have a big effect on the elections since most Venezuelans abroad are against Chávez’s rule.

Keller, Mark. "Can the Diaspora Vote Influence Latin American Elections?" Americas Society. 10 May 2012. <http://www.as-coa.org/article.php?id=4158>.

"Hugo Chávez." Wikipedia. 3 June 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugo_Ch%C3%A1vez>.

"List of Diasporas." Wikipedia. 19 May 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_diasporas>.

"Venezuela." Wikipedia. 06 Jan. 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venezuela>.

González, Ángel and Minaya, Ezequiel. "Venezuelan Diaspora Booms Under Chávez." The Wall Street Journal. 17 Oct. 2011. <http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111904491704576573051332461710.html>.

Venezuela was colonized by the Spanish in 1522. Since Venezuela gained independence in 1830, it has seen the rule of many dictators. The current president of Venezuela, Hugo Chávez, is considered by some to be a dictator as well. Chávez took power in 1999, and a new wave of Venezuelan emigrants started. Chávez is staunchly against neoliberalism and American capitalism, allying himself with other countries that the United States does not particularly favor like Bolivia, Ecuador, Nicaragua, and Cuba. After much political turmoil and a coup attempt, Chávez helped create a new Venezuelan constitution and his politics became more radical. Opponents have accused Chávez of turning the government into a dictatorship through his government reforms, effectively giving him more autocratic power.