While not going so far as to actually do anything remotely dictatorial, Chávez was far from a democratic leader. Instead of competing honestly in elections, he provided services and raised the standard of living for the people of Venezuela, ensuring their gratitude and thereby gaining an unfair advantage at the polls. Much of the funds for this insidious election tactic of ‘making things better’ were rerouted from the newly nationalised oilfields: through this wanton kleptocracy, billions of petrodollars were withheld from deserving rich white people.- Every Hugo Chávez obituary in the Western press
I'm glad I could lazily link to this. It enables me to avoid posting some wank about Cicero and the Gracchis and how some ruling class schticks apparently never fucking ever get old.