His finger on the pulse of the nation
January 10th creates a conundrum for us at Caracas Chronicles.
On the one hand, we share most of your indignation. Maduro’s term ends today, but the TSJ has ruled he can remain on board as Vice-President, in effect creating its own succession rules and making a mockery of the Constitution.
These people don’t care about the Constitution, and that was true before, it’s true today, and it will be true in the future. In her own, perversely twisted way, Luisa Estela Morales is right – there is continuity.
But the whole situation is so ridiculous, so over-the-top, it really strains us to take it too seriously.
As Ramón Muchacho so eloquently put it, in the end of the day, they were in charge before, and they remain in charge now. Yes, principles matter, but the principle that Diosdado Cabello really should be President right now … well, that one doesn’t matter that much to us.
Back to the ridiculousness – we can’t really call Maduro the Vice-President anymore, and we certainly can’t call him President. But … dictator? De-Facto President? Sounds too shrill for CC.
The name has to be attuned to the joke that his “government” has become.
The “Interim-Continuous-Not-Quite-Official-But-Nevertheless-De-Facto-Substitute Vice-President” Maduro?
The “In-Charge-But-Not-Exactly-Interim-President” Maduro?
The “Second-In-Command-not-Counting-Diosdado-And-Rafael-Ramírez-and-Raúl-and-Fidel” Nicolás Maduro?
The “High-Priest-of-the-Church-of-the-Revolution” Nicolás Maduro?
The “Bastard-Illegally-Claiming-to-Hold-Office” (BICHO)?
We’re looking for ideas here folks.
The defacto president.
That’s not ridiculous enough!
It has to be funny? Ok… The defacto-inwaiting president. Because right now he’s both.
the “de-farto president”? scatagorical humor is always funny
THE BICHO HAHAHAHA I don’t think it gets any better from that one!
The notorious B.I.C.H.O.
jaja este es
hay un BICHO encaramado en la silla de Miraflores…
Agreed. There are not too many bilingual acronyms out there- at least that I am aware of.
Entendí que según la Dra. Morales, presidenta del TSJ, Maduro es algo así como un “semipresidente”. Si ese es el caso, entonces estamos hablando de alguien que tiene “semipoderes” como jefe de Estado y de gobierno, que “semirespetará” la constitución y las leyes, y que “semigobernará”. Aunque suene raro, pareciera que el estatus de “semipresidente” es el que mejor responde a la situación actual del gobierno en Venezuela.
The semi-president… Not bad.
Semidente
And you may be a ‘semi-imperialist’
I like The President-in-charge-but-not-encargado.
Let’s adjust it a little bit: The President-in-charge-but-not-so-much
If we take the religious angle, let’s call him “The first apostle of the Chavista Revolution Church”.
What about “Caliph”? It originally meant a succesor of Mohammed.
What about …El Presidente sin votos
What about…El que se agarró el coroto de Chávez
O…Al que le “sumbaron” el coroto de Chavez.
Chavez wannabee
Zombie’s Regent
Queen Regent with a heavy mustache
With great mustache comes great responsibility.
Bigote in Waiting?
Mustache-in-waiting.
Perfect.
The Notorious B.I.C.H.O. may win my vote though.
Well, remember he has been called Fat Freddy Mercury
Maybe he will take his shirt off and do “We are the Champions” today. That would be excellent.
I mean, you have the unique opportunity to set the semantics terms in the way you will reffer to him. Well, I’d use it to tell everybody, but particularly the soft chavista base, that first, he is not Chavez, and second, that there is something wrong with him. President Maduro? Really?
Supreme Allied Commander of the ALBA pro tempore?
I’d prefer something classical, like usurper, although it’s not as funny as those in your list…
Suggestions:
*Grand Poobah
*Archipámpano
*The annointed one or El Ungido.
*Master of The House, Keeper of the Zoo
*First Citizen or Chairman
*The Hand (From Game of Thrones)
*Lord Protector
* El Supremo
Pero but of course “El Ungido”!
The only accurate title is “Formerly Known as Vice President.”
The prince “Formerly Known ad VP”
hahah buenisimo… yo digo: “el príncipe consorte” (de Raul y Fidel)
I like Bicho the best but “El Burrito Grande” keeps coming to mind.
Guachiman.
Fingerdente. As in finger-chosen; and while giving everyone and everything else the finger. Plus, it sounds good: “Fingerdente Maduro today announced, etc…”
Like!
Fingerdent Maduro today announced ..
El Dedazodente Maduro hoy anunció …
>>> … We’re lookng for ideas here folks.
The elephant looks PINK, but it’s still the big elephant in the room, watch it,
or you’ll get trampled on. It may not be RED enough, but a pink elephant looks
better to the oppo. In short , a great CON job.
Maduro y a punto de caer.
Con un Cabello en la Solapa.
El bigote sin cabello.
Bichito Presidente…. Y será que supera a Octavio el Breve?
Mini-mi
I like the “semi-president”, but what about “Cabello’s unwitting puppet”?.
If we can count on that Chavez will die soon, and that a harsh macro-economic adjustment is mandatory, Cabello’s attitude of stepping aside and leaving the field free to Maduro will pay brilliantly: About 18 months into the future Maduro will most probably face angry mobs clamoring for the (artificial) economical welfare they have enjoyed during the past electoral year, and he will face a very difficult crisis.
Then, Cabello may claim that Maduro betrayed the Chavez revolution, dilapidated the country resources giving away money to Cuba, and trampled with the Constitution. Vowing to rescue the revolution and restore the constitutional order, and backed by his military buddies, he seizes control and purges the PSUV from the civil, pro-Cuba faction in just one stroke. Just add a couple of rational economic decisions that somehow restore the balance, and we will have Cabello “hasta el dos mil siempre”.
How about, as in the “Lady in waiting”, “The Candidate in waiting” or here’s another, “The named President, in wait to be candidate”. Ah, one more, one remembers the “Manchurian Candidate”, well, how about the “Bench warmer candidate”. I’ll quit while I’m ahead.
Enjoy!
Maduro: el conductor de la patria.
Maduro: el semi-conductor de la patria.
Me gusta lo electrizante del título.
The slogan sounds better: Nicolas Maduro, conduciendo la patria hacia el…barranco.
Juan Perón was known as El Gran Conductor.
What is the Spanish equivalent of a clairvoyant that can communicate with the dead?
Clarividente
“Walter-Mercado-dente.”
spiritist-in-chief
Bernie’s interpreter.
Better:
Walter-Mercado-AL-Dente…
Ese no dura ni dos meses sin Diosdado…
El Clarividente Maduro?
MICO = Mamarrachus-Ineterinus-in-Charge-of-Office
Well, if they really wanted to make it work, I think you need to capitalize on the Chavez name. The movement is called “Chavismo” and the faithful are called “Chavistas”. They need something to suggest that the holy spirit of Chavez lives on within him. So, my suggestion is… wait for it… drum roll…
“The Chavez Incarnate”
mi comediante sin jefe
#WIN
… insisto “El Ungido”, es vulgar, es místico, es “catchy”!
oh yeah, we have a winner!
blushing…:) not bad for a gringo?
Nicolas the Medium Grey… drum roll…
Steward of the Bolivarian Kingdom of Venezuela.
Alternatively Majordomo, Mayor of the Palace or Regent.
But Usurper and Raptor must be the popular title.
The “inmaduro” President
The word you’re looking for is “regent”.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regency_%28government%29
yes, I think that one is the best
What about The Grand Vizier Maduro? Chávez would be like the Sultan. He is our very own Jafar (the bad guy in Disney’s “Aladdin” ).
There are still abogados honestos in Venezuela:
http://www.noticias24.com/venezuela/noticia/145200/colegio-de-abogados-se-pronuncia-sobre-decision-del-tsj/
Whoa, Canuckle! Stay man! Honest Lawyers?
Wachoo been Smoking?
Nothing that an honest lawyer couldn’t assist me with… if it came to that. YOWZA!
yquepresidente?
–
dizque-presidente
LIKE
Nicolas Maduro de Castro, Chief Thief
I move for “la quinceanera” because this whole situation is a farce.
what about “Protector of the Realm”? That way Cabello can be Queen Regent .
El MustachoFormalmentePresidente
The Puppet-sindent? The Dollpresident?
The Raper Constitutionist Maduro?
Puppet President is not bad. I also like “shadow President”. For variation, “Concub-ine”
In the photo Maduro is saying that Chavez is still alive because he just checked his temperature.
Chief Medical Advisor to the President Maduro.
Viceroy has a certain ring to it as well…
…considering Venezuela is a colony of Cuba.
si asi es
Grand Buzier al-Shofir.
LOL!
jajaja
I think “satrap” needs to make a comeback.
Chamo Encargado…since both fit in a rather ironic fashion.
or Psuedo Coma-dante Presidente.
Or PapiChulo Presidente since his mandate is to pimp out the country’s resources to those special interests with the correct “ideology”?
Commander-in-Chofer!
Nice! Snarky, but funny.
A winner is you.
haha el autobusero inconstitucional pero que más, no se le pueden pedir peras al olmo, que consitiucion ni que nada, desde que Chavez se montó en el poder con su cuerda de malandros, ellos nunca han hecho caso de las leyes, porque malandro no hace caso de leyes… ojalá que se maten entre ellos todos como los buitres que son… mis sinceros deseos
You WIN!
¿Vice-Presi-Diente-Roto?
vicemandante
OT:
Planes fly over Caracas right now… Reminds me of 1992… 21 years.
Do you know what’s going on? I don’t…
en honor al discurso jaleti de los chulos presentes sacaron uno o dos sukhoys
Hoy hubo actos organizados por el Gobierno venezolano para respaldar la gestión del presidente Chávez. Mujica habló medio incoherente (tomadito):
http://www.lapatilla.com/site/2013/01/10/este-es-el-corto-discurso-del-pepe-mujica-video/
Oh, the lack of memory, the lack of knowledge about Venezuelan literature:
Maduro es “El (presi)diente roto”.
So sad that we have to try to laugh on an extreme illegal and sad matter. The best name could be the quantum president, remembering the Schrödinger’s cat laying mouthing/mute in Cuba!!
El Bigote Ungido, today presiding in Caracas, the Capital of Chulolandia.
brilliant!
Dear Charlotte:
What else can we do?
My vote goes to:
El Cabeza ‘e ñame ese.
Do any of you remember “El diente roto”?
wow you just made me experience a vivid memory flashback
Here’s a good example of a lame botas:
Que ridiculos!
do they really believe in that? I don’t know whether to feel pity or contempt … weird times
I’d bet a mill$ peers used to call him PLATANOTE in high school.
PP (short for PRESIDENTE PLATANOTE – platano is sinonym of maduro)
This was the best of the charade, in my opinion. Pay attention.
They all have a price.
The Dauphin
What about: Platanote maduro?
Like
Not a Spanish speaker, so take this gently,..
I believe “-ito” is the diminutive suffix, so “el Presidentito”.
“His Fraudulency” isn’t bad, either. (It was coined in 1876-1877 for U.S. President Rutherford B. Hayes, elected by 1 electoral vote after three Southern states with disputed returns were awarded to him on 8-7 votes by a special commission.) Idunno if it works in Spanish, though.
His Flatulency. Lo que viene es tremendo peo.
Madurus Maximus Bigotus, his first action as Emperor will be to celebrate gladiatorial games, piting general Diosdadus Ojitus Lindus against such foul beasts as three headed Chiguires, barbarian bersekers from the mountainous tribes of the Hampa and doing all the bureaucracy to get a cupón de Cadivi approved in the middle of the arena, all the while dodging expropiación arrows fired from the AN standing all around the field of battle.
Yes, Ridley Scott, you have my permission to make this into a movie.
Sounds entertaining, Chavezismo always seemed to be much closer to ancient roman emperors than socialism.
What happens next is a good question. My thinking is that the first time Maduro (the de-facto leader of the executive) tries to do some sort of decree or other unilateral action, Dio and the AN will say “whoa caballo”, your not the (real) president and that’s our job! Interesting question. Si? What will the Army and the TSJ say?
This also brings up the question of who controls PDVSA? The Prez, the AN, or are they autonomus and an a additional power power broker in all this?
What about… Segundón?
How about “el pichón de Chavez”?
Nick The Dick
First made his appearance in “Bachelor Party”
So yesterday on Jan 10th Diosdado, President of the AN did not take the post of president and neither did Vicepresident Maduro. Instead a show was put on to celebrate Chavez, in absentia, as the holder of the post. But why make such a spectacle and violate the constitution in the process? The only reason I can think of is to hide the fact that since December 2012 and for the foreseeable future Venezuela is run by a “Junta de Gobierno”, a Board of Governors you may call it.
But who seats in this clandestine and secret Junta? Diosdado and Maduro of course. Ramirez and some high ranking Generals for sure. Luisa Estela maybe. And who else? and who is the real boss? who calls the shots? Who has the final say so on decisions? Many would say Castro runs things from Cuba, but I disagree, if anything the Cubans act as consultants and maybe strategists but the real power must be in the hands of those with control of the money and the weapons.
What do you think? How long can they keep this up? What would the people think of this illegal arrangement?
Ostensibly, Chavistas are saving the president post for Chávez awaiting for his triumphal return. That is why they do not want to declare his absence, not even as temporary, and no one is allowed to take his post. The TSJ invoking the ‘principle of continuity’ rubber stamped the rupture of the continuity of the presidential post. The fact is Venezuela has no president and is governed by an undefined group of people with some visible heads but unknown structure.
Estoy en siem riep en cambodia esperando el avión a hanoi… quisieramos tener nosotros la organización económica y prosperidad vietnamitas, by the way. Acabo de oir el video de MCM en CNN con C Amanpour y es brillante por su claridad de ideas. A los que la critican por no hablar inglés perfecto les diré que mi marido es UK y habla the king’s english y ni papa de español, y quedó impactado por su delivery compacto, claro y mensaje positivo. Estoy segura que ms amanpour y su audiencia están acostumbrados a oir inglés acentuado y no es una prioridad para ellos la forma sino el fondo del mensaje. Y conste que a pesar de ser yo una merici girl myself yo voté por capriles. Creo que MCM estuvo a la altura al explicarle la situación a los que nos ven de afuera. La gente con la que viajo les cuesta bastante entender el rollo del zombie president… Y el artículo 231. Not to mention why nobody in his party (rather his minions) is following chavezs’ own televised and publicized express instructions….
¿Platanote Maduro? Por lo encamburado, claro está…
Presidente de Paja