United Liberty

Could a regime change be coming in Venezuela? Based on a report from the Wall Street Journal, Hugo Chavez is trailing his opponent, Henrique Capriles Radonsky, in the South America country’s presidential election, which will occur tomorrow:

Venezuelans head to voting stations this Sunday in a race that is proving to be Mr. Chávez’s greatest challenge after nearly 14 years in office. The president has promised a deepening of his statist policies if he wins another six-year term. However, his campaign was slowed down over the past year as he battled an undisclosed type of cancer, which Mr. Chávez says he has overcome.

The survey conducted by local private pollster Consultores 21 found the challenger increasing his support to 51.8% while Mr. Chávez declined to 47.2%, according to Saul Cabrera, director of the firm. The survey was conducted as a vote simulation between Sept. 27 and Oct. 2 using 1,546 respondents. It had a margin of error of 2.5%.

Chavez, a self-described socialist, has aligned himself closely with Fidel Castro and nationalized several sectors of the Venezuelan economy. He’s also been a thorn in the side of the United States, though not a real threat.

Despite the poll above, there are still concerns about events that could influence the potential outcome, some of which were laid out by Juan Carlos Hidalgo. But if Chavez is sent packing, there aren’t going to be many that will shed tears.