Luis Fonsi Condemns Socialist Remix of ‘Despacito’ as ‘Propaganda’

Venezuela’s socialist president Nicolas Maduro has debuted his own socialist remix of the record-breaking hit Spanish-language single “Despacito.”

The Maduro version features new lyrics that promote his plan to rewrite the nation’s constitution to cement himself in power.

The stunt, performed on Venezuelan state television channel VTV, urged people to “open your eyes and look at your people” ahead of Sunday’s vote to elect a “constituent assembly” of 545 deputies. Names on the ballot will only include candidates carefully handpicked by the government, mainly local union leaders or United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) activists.

Maduro’s version of the song, originally performed by Puerto Rican singer Luis Fonsi and rapper Daddy Yankee, went as follows:

Hey dear sister, here I am singing to you, I have an important message. It is the calling of the constituents, who only want to unite the country.

Extend your hand today, tomorrow or forever, as your brothers in front of you

…

Slowly, exercise your vote, despite the bullets, go with your ideas peacefully and calmly

…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEvIHqjjLbs

Supporters attending the rally joined in the cheer by dancing, clapping, and waving Venezuelan flags as Maduro played the remixed song.

Close Maduro ally and PSUV National Assembly leader Diosdado Cabello also used the song to describe the country’s opposition, saying, “As the song says, step by step, softer and softer, they want to harm the government.”

The song, whose title translates as “Slowly,” recently became the most streamed song of all time, with almost three billion hits on YouTube, and has reached number one in over thirty countries worldwide. Its lyrics involve Fonsi’s attempting to seduce a married woman with a series of graphic metaphors about the benefits of sexual promiscuity.

Critics of government’s plan fear it will repeal the power of lawmakers and will effectively turn the country into a dictatorship.

Among those critics is Fonsi, who took to Twiter to condemn Maduro’s use of the song, writing in a statement, “At no time has anyone consulted me, nor have I authorized the use or change of lyrics in Despacito for political means, much less in the middle of the deplorable situation country I love as much as Venezuela is living.”

“My music is for all of those who want to listen and enjoy it, not to be used as propaganda to try to manipulate the will of a people shouting out for liberty and a better future.”

#sosvenezuela pic.twitter.com/V9X2Kv1z21

— Luis Fonsi (@LuisFonsi) July 24, 2017

In a referendum that took place across Venezuela last Sunday, 98 percent of the participants 7.2 million rejected the idea. However, Maduro has dismissed the result as “meaningless.”

“I urge the opposition, ‘Don’t go crazy, calm down.’ As president of the republic, I make a call for peace,” he said following the result.

The U.S. has also expressed concern over the assembly, with President Donald Trump claiming that America “will not stand by as Venezuela crumbles,” and promised to impose “swift economic actions” on Venezuela should Maduro not listen to his people.

“Yesterday, the Venezuelan people again made clear that they stand for democracy, freedom, and rule of law,” he said in a statement following the result. “Yet their strong and courageous actions continue to be ignored by a bad leader who dreams of becoming a dictator.”

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