In 1998, the political offer that convinced many Venezuelans to vote for Hugo Chávez was Change. But what the majority of Venezuelans have forgotten is that the political offer of the principal rival of Hugo Chávez in those elections, former governor Henrique Salas Rommer, also was Change. Together, both candidates obtained around 90% of the valid votes, so we can say in Venezuela everybody wanted Change in 1998.

Chávez won that election because more voters wanted the radical Change he represented (Based in his failed Cup d’État in 1992) over the gradually Change that Salas Rommer represented (as a member of the economy elite became into a regional political leader).

Since his victory, Chávez has made important efforts to materialize his Change offer. First of all, he calls his government a Revolution and because of it he had changed the official name of the country (Adding the adjective Bolivariana), the national flag and the national coat of arms and the names of several institutions.

Second, he had made a lot of law projects and reforms, beginning with the National Constitution in 1999. Last year, he presented a project to reform that Constitution and at this moment one of the most important political themes in the country is the package of 26 laws that Hugo Chávez approved with fast track power reproducing the spirit of the Constitution reform rejected in a national referendum. After ten years as president and main political actor of the country, to offers and to represents Change has became harder for Hugo Chávez.

A big number of his candidates are in a difficult position facing the regional elections of the next November, and corruption cases are every time more close to the President. Many people thinks that either November election or corruption cases are the reasons why the government denounced an intent to kill Hugo Chávez, trying to cover corruption information and maybe preparing the ground for a suspension of the regional election.

At this point, is still very difficult to define Chávez’s revolution.

With weaker political institutions, higher dependency on the oil prices and in the best-case scenario with the same proportion of supporters of 1998, the only thing that really has Changed in Venezuela has been the political elite.

But even with that example, Change continues to be an attractive flag to uphold. The political slogan that Juan Barreto, Metropolitan Major of Caracas and Chávez supporter, chose for his administration was “Caracas decidió cambiar” (Caracas chose to change). And the main rival for November election, Leopoldo López, Chávez opponent and Major of Chacao, one of the city councils of Caracas, presented his option for Metropolitan Major with the slogan “El Cambio sí va”, (Change goes).

For political and juridical reasons neither Barreto nor López are candidates for November election. The two principal candidates running for Metropolitan Major are Aristóbulo Isturiz, Chávez supporter, and Antonio Ledezma, Chávez opponent, whom faced each other twelve years after when Ledezma won Libertador city council over Istúriz, the major at that moment. So Change is not what Caracas is going to have with those candidates. That means things are not going to Change in a city with a very bad performs from its authorities in the last years? Nobody knows, because Change as a political flag means almost nothing.

That is why candidate McCain answered to the Change offered by Obama with a Change offer. What Change McCain represents is the question Obama asked to the voters, but he is having problems defining his own Change offer. At the end, this Change ping-pong probably will end with the people voting for their own idea of Change.