His buddy, former Venezuelan Defense Minister Raul Isaias Baduel, has been the biggest name to defect but the polls aren’t looking great either:
President Hugo Chavez is trailing ahead of a key vote on constitutional reforms, according to a new poll Saturday that shows opponents of the changes ahead by a strong margin.
The survey was conducted by Caracas polling firm Datanalisis, whose polls ahead of past votes have consistently matched Chavez’s electoral victories. It found about 49% of likely voters oppose Chavez’s reforms, well ahead of 39% who favor the changes.
“Chavez has never gone into an election without being an overwhelming majority from the beginning,” Datanalisis pollster Luis Vicente Leon told The Associated Press. “This is the first time it’s reversed.”
The sad reality is that there’s little hope that Chavez will respect the constitution, or the will of the people, whatever the results may be.
