President Hugo Chavez’ close of campaign rally and speech on Thursday, October 4 was a stark contrast to that of opposition candidate Henrique Capriles just a few days earlier.

The sky was grey; a few red shirts trickled down the streets and off of busses toward Avenida Bolivar. Motorcycling around city, looking for signs of life and fiesta as there had been on Sunday for Capriles (see “Hay un Camino” for further details), there were only wet, dour faces.

The day was symbolic in a lot of ways. Chavez’ speech was cut down to about 32 minutes, much less than expected. Mother Nature was not the only reason for a dampened mood, however. Through various interviews, I have come to find out that in the last month many public workers, be they public utility workers, or employees of local mayoral offices, have begun to express discontent with being shipped in to participate.

Importing busloads of people from neighboring cities like Guarenas and beyond to pump up the number of attendees at rallies in Caracas has gone on for years. But over the last month, public sentiment toward these caravans has changed. The number of obligatory appearances has gone up, and conditions on the buses (especially for women) have worsened and become unsafe. It’s not uncommon for people to return to their homes late at night frustrated to the point of tears. What was once fun and revolutionary has now turned obligatory.

The Revolution’s discourse has grown tiresome for many. On a recent trip to Catia la Mar, I got to hear Chavez’ latest repeated discourse, not in person, but via one of the hundreds of trucks with speakers that circulate blasting El Comandante’s voice. To say the message was disconcerting would be an understatement.  The recording said point blank that those who support the opposition support the devil, and el oficialismo is the Christian way.

Political discourse manipulating religion is not uncommon, but denouncing the needs of your people is. Shockingly, in a stump speech earlier this week, Chavez went so far as to say that power and water outages do not matter:  what matters is the revolution they are undertaking… Viva Chavez, viva la Revolucion!

http://www.eluniversal.com/nacional-y-politica/elecciones-2012/120928/chavez-no-importa-si-se-va-la-luz-o-el-agua-lo-que-importa-es-la-patri

This incredible pronouncement seems like something that would be a death knell for any other campaign, especially comparing it to Capriles’ cierre de campaña, speeches denouncing power outages ~ apagones. Sometimes programmed ahead of time, sometimes not, generally lasting anywhere from 15 minutes to 5 hours, this aspect of daily life for Venezuelans outside of Caracas is highly disruptive.

As if invoking the wrath of God were not enough, much of the electorate remains unconvinced that the vote on Sunday will be secret. Even though voters unlock electronic polling machines via fingerprint, then vote separately, many still remember the petition to recall Chavez from a few years ago, which resulted in thousands of names that were blacklisted from government jobs or contracts.  

As a few anemic red fireworks crackled over the Caracas skyline Thursday night, one couldn’t help but consider the contrast between the two close of campaigns. What a difference a few days make.