quote:

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Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez has accused the opposition of massive fraud during its campaign to force a referendum to end his five-year rule.

Mr. Chavez Sunday said his foes were attempting "mega-fraud" during the third day of their four-day drive to collect signatures. The president said the signatures will be tallied one by one and would assuredly come up short of the necessary quota.

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quote:

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Venezuala's opposition celebrated what it called a massive turnout for a weekend petition drive demanding a recall vote for President Hugo Chavez yesterday, defying government claims of fraud.

The Democratic Co-ordinator, a coalition of opposition groups, ran a nationwide operation called the Last Stage to ensure that anyone wanting to sign the recall petition could do so on the drive's last day yesterday.

Opposition leaders needed 2.4 million signatures, or 20 per cent of the electorate, to trigger a presidential recall referendum that could take place next year. The next scheduled elections are in 2006. They accuse Mr Chavez of dividing this oil-rich nation and trying to impose a Cuban-style regime. Mr Chavez claims that a corrupt political class which left a majority of Venezuelans in poverty wants its privileges back.

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quote:

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Venezuela's political opposition says it has collected enough signatures to demand a recall referendum on President Hugo Chavez.
Opposition leaders say they have 3.6 million signatures, far more than what was needed to hold the referendum.

The opposition needed the signatures of 2.4 million people, or 20 percent of registered voters, to trigger the vote.

Election officials have 30 days to verify the results of the four-day signature drive.

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quote:

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Saturday, November 29, 2003

Hugo Chavez has an attitude problem. Only last April the Venezuelan president escaped a kidnapping by the Chairman of the nation's Chamber of Commerce. This weekend, Chavez is facing a recall petition by the angry rich of Venezuela. He also faces the wrath of an angry rich American president who does not appreciate Chavez' bad attitude toward globalization a la Rumsfeld.

Annoying the moneyed and the powerful is Chavez' gift. And this week, at the meeting of the Congress of Andean Parliaments, he unwrapped a special surprise, a renewed proposal for PetroSur,
functionally, a Latin American OPEC.

Venezuela, not Saudi Arabia, has long been the USA's largest supplier of foreign oil. By combining Venezuela's huge state-owned oil company with Ecuador's, Brazil's and Trinadad's (all nations now headed by elected leftists), Chavez could create a bargaining hammer for hemispheric trade talks which, up to now, have been mostly a one-way lecture from the USA.

"If Exxon and Mobil can combine, and Texaco and Phillips, why not PetroBrasil and PdVSA?" Chavez asks, referring to the Brazilian and Venezuelan government operators.

Well, Hugo, you KNOW why not. I remember the story of Ferdinand Marcos' proposal to the Shah of Iran some years back. The Philippines dictator suggested to the Iranian despot that Iran go around the US oil giants and ship directly to the Philippines for refining and sale. The Shah pointed to his personal jet which brought him to Manila. "Do you see the plane that brought me here? Do you know who paid for it? And what do you think would happen to that plane if I were to adopt your suggestion?"

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quote:

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I think that he has been meddling in the opposition's petition and is using the state as an oppressor of opposition.

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Do you have any evidence, though?

Chavez's democratic instincts may not be of the highest order. However, since the opposition was willing to flagrantly violate the Constitution and the law in attempting to overthrow Chavez, I would not put it past them to manufacture signatures.

Why don't we wait for the official response to the petition? They are supposed to check the signatures to see if actual human beings signed.
The opposition claims it has a million more signatures than it needs. So the officials looking at the petition will either have to demonstrate massive fraud, or give the petition full legal effect.

quote:

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Former President Jimmy Carter said Tuesday that Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez told him that he would step down if a recall referendum is held and he loses.

The Nobel Peace Prize laureate was wrapping up a three-day visit to observe the election council's verification process of more than 3.4 million signatures collected by the opposition to demand the recall. If the signatures are determined to be valid, a vote could be held in May.

---

quote:

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Well, Hugo, you KNOW why not. I remember the story of Ferdinand Marcos' proposal to the Shah of Iran some years back. The Philippines dictator suggested to the Iranian despot that Iran go around the US oil giants and ship directly to the Philippines for refining and sale. The Shah pointed to his personal jet which brought him to Manila. "Do you see the plane that brought me here? Do you know who paid for it? And what do you think would happen to that plane if I were to adopt your suggestion?"

---

quote:

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CARACAS, Venezuela (Reuters) - Two people were shot and killed and more than 20 injured on Friday when Venezuelan troops battled in the streets with opposition protesters who demanded that President Hugo Chavez submit to a recall vote, officials said.

Confused gunfire broke out during several hours of violent clashes that turned parts of Caracas into a debris-strewn war zone and delayed the start of an international summit on poverty hosted by Chavez.

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The clashes started while Chavez met privately with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Argentine President Nestor Kirchner. Lula left early for home later on Friday. The heads of state of Colombia and Jamaica also attended the summit.

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[ 28 February 2004: Message edited by: DrConway ]

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ARACAS, Feb. 28 (Xinhuanet) -- Opponents to Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on Saturday blocked Caracas' main freeway with burningwheels and trash to reject National Electoral Council's decision to revise "doubtful" pro-recall referendum signatures against the leader.

The erection of barricades in the Francisco Fajardo freeway began around 6:00 p.m. local time (2200 GMT) in the Altamira neighborhood, Chacao municipality, where the opposition of Leopoldo Lopez rules, local press said.

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ARACAS, Venezuela (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of supporters of President Hugo Chavez marched on Sunday to protest what they criticized as U.S. meddling and rally support for the leftist leader as he battles an opposition referendum challenge.

Waving revolutionary flags and "Out with the CIA" and "No to Yankee Invasion" banners, Chavez sympathizers streamed through the capital under the watch of National Guard troops and two military helicopters circling overhead.

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quote:

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Originally posted by RookieActivist:
I don't know if I totally trust Chavez. I think his intentions are good, but the ends don't justify the means. I think that he has been meddling in the opposition's petition and is using the state as an oppressor of opposition.

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quote:

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CARACAS, Venezuela (Reuters) - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez called President Bush an "---hole" on Sunday and told him not to meddle as his opponents battled troops ahead of a ruling on a recall vote against him.

Chavez, who often says the U.S. is backing opposition efforts to topple his government, accused Bush of listening to "imperialist" aides whom he said advised the U.S. leader to support a brief 2002 coup against him.

"He was an ---hole to believe them," Chavez roared at a rally of supporters in Caracas.

---

I'd like to see more world leaders say "You know, he's right. That guy is an a--hole."

quote:

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CARACAS, Venezuela(Reuters) - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez warned the U.S. government Sunday that if it tried to invade Venezuela or impose a trade blockade against his country, he would shut off Venezuelan oil supplies to the United States.

Although the context Chavez gave was hypothetical, it was the first time the outspoken Venezuelan leader had publicly mentioned the possibility of cutting off oil supplies to the United States.

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quote:

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ARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuela's elections council ruled yesterday that the opposition lacked enough signatures to force a recall referendum on President Hugo Chavez.

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Woot.

However, there is a catch:

quote:

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But council President Francisco Carrasquero announced that just 1.83 million signatures were valid. An additional 876,016 signatures may be valid if citizens confirm they indeed signed the petition, Mr. Carrasquero said.

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1.83 million plus 0.876 million yields about 2.7 million, which is above the threshold limit.

However, may I provisionally say...

Venezuela Rioting Spreads on Chavez News

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If Chavez loses in a referendum held before mid-August, the midway point for his term, new presidential elections must be held. But if he loses in a vote held after mid-August, Vice President Jose Vicente Rangel would take over for the rest of his term.

Opponents fear if that happens, Chavez would merely rule behind his right-hand man for the rest of his term, which ends in January 2007.

---

I can't help but be reminded of Huey Long, who ruled Lousiana through his right-hand man, O.K. Allen. (yes, the man's initials were O.K. )

Huey Long is generally regarded as a mercurial populist who alienated some powerful people, and whose political programs and ideas, while radical and innovative, were not well-executed or their longer-range implications considered.

As well, he had a tendency to manipulate the political levers of power for his own benefit - an example was the gerrymandering of electoral districts he was pushing through the legislature in 1936 around the time he was assassinated.

In short, while Huey Long is widely regarded as one of the more colorful figures of Louisiana's political past, and whose achievements were indeed quite concrete, his basic radicalism and mercurial personality meant that his attempts to reach his goals would necessarily be frustrated by the responses he engendered.

quote:

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Venezuela's opposition pleads for international help after presidential recall denied

ALEXANDRA OLSON, Associated Press Writer
Wednesday, March 3, 2004

(03-03) 11:57 PST CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) --

Venezuela's opposition met with international observers Wednesday, pleading for help in reversing the denial of a recall referendum against President Hugo Chavez.

Rioting subsided in cities throughout this deeply divided country, which sits atop the Western Hemisphere's largest oil reserves and is the world's No. 5 exporter. Venezuelans are torn between those who say Chavez has become increasingly autocratic and those who say he speaks for the poor.

---

[ 03 March 2004: Message edited by: DrConway ]

http://www.vheadline.com/readnews.asp?id=16197

Incidentally, I'd like to note that while the press reports and even the Carter centre are generally talking as if the dubious signatures are a matter of "technicality", the opinion of Chavistas is that there was a concerted attempt at fraud. They have a taped conversation indicating that major opposition figures themselves believe they only got 1.9 million signatures. And there's an odd timing pattern; the opposition claims that a big proportion of the signatures came in in the last couple of days, but eyewitnesses suggest that the polling stations were very lightly attended during that time. I suspect the opposition of voting the cemetery, frankly.
That's one reason, I expect, that the opposition are looking to do a deal where signatures get removed by people coming forward and removing them--even aside from the fact that very few people are going to read through thousands of signatures to find out if they supposedly signed, more to the point dead or otherwise nonexistent people are *really* unlikely to come forward . . .

Chavez should have gotten his international observers from Europe, man. I don't trust those Carter guys very far, and as for the OAS ones . . . yeah, right.

But I suspect it's all a bit overblown. Chavez has been expecting the opposition to fail and then throw this kind of hissy fit for months; I'm sure he's got a handle on it. Unlike the case of Aristide, I don't see any real prospect of a quick coup while the world press is in full misinformation mode. During the last coup, for example, the mayor of Caracas' cops took Chavez' government somewhat by surprise. And while the lower ranks of the military went with Chavez, there were a bunch of old-line aristocrats at the upper levels. But the ones who were in on the coup got sacked, so there's been a shift in Chavez' favour for next time around.

But in any case, the opposition riots seem to have been worse attended than in the past, although quite violent, while the pro-Chavez rallies continue to be very large. I don't think the opposition has the momentum. I don't think they can create the conditions for a coup this time, or even really muck up the economy that bad. Which in turn means that Chavez should get the chance to keep on putting his programs in place for a while.

quote:

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And while the lower ranks of the military went with Chavez, there were a bunch of old-line aristocrats at the upper levels. But the ones who were in on the coup got sacked, so there's been a shift in Chavez' favour for next time around.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by DrConway:
I can't help but be reminded of Huey Long... widely regarded as one of the more colorful figures of Louisiana's political past, and whose achievements were indeed quite concrete, his basic radicalism and mercurial personality meant that his attempts to reach his goals would necessarily be frustrated by the responses he engendered.

---

quote:

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Milos Alcalay, a career diplomat who has represented his country for 30 years, made his announcement at a news conference where copies of a letter to Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jesus Arnaldo Perez were handed out.

Alcalay said his diplomatic career has been guided by the principles of protecting human rights, operating through a transparent democratic process and supporting an open dialogue for international diplomacy.

``Sadly, Venezuela now is operating devoid of these fundamental principles, which I still remain intensely committed to. Therefore, it is with a heavy heart today that I am resigning from my position,'' he said in his statement.

Alcalay's resignation came amid opposition protests of the National Elections Council's decision to reject a petition for a recall vote against President Hugo Chavez.

On the issue of democracy, the ambassador said he believes the arguments set forth by the Elections Council violate ``the spirit and the purpose'' of Venezuela's constitution ``and rob Venezuelans of the right to effect change through the democratic process.''

---

quote:

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Hugo Chavez is in much the same situation. He has goals and achievements to his credit; yet he is pursuing them with a basic personality that is almost designed to engender strong responses pro or con. As a result many of his programs are frustrated and those who he wishes to help find the promises they were made are not entirely fulfilled.

---

I wouldn't blame Chavez's personality.

I would blame a dangerous, greedy and immoral corporate-military-media complex.

Chavez is in an INCREDIBLY difficult situation. I think, thus far, he has performed brilliantly. Heroically. And, quite frankly, with much restraint.

quote:

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Originally posted by Gaia_Child:
I wouldn't blame Chavez's personality.

---

Caveat: I fully agree that few here could do what Chavez is doing and pull it off.

I'm not blaming his personality. What I am saying is that his personality tends to provoke strong responses pro or con - that is, people will either love him or hate him, precisely because he plans on up-ending some age-old power relations in Venezuela.

I really have trouble believing people are so greedy and corrupt and inhumane.

But, I guess like Babblers (and humans) of all political persuasions, they can come with rationalizations and so on for their behaviour and views.

quote:

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I really have trouble believing people are so greedy and corrupt and inhumane.

---

The typical anti-Chavists, while the level of hysteria you see in their statements suggests they've got some cognitive dissonance going, is to some extent prisoner to their upbringing and the information they're surrounded with. For starters, racial prejudice seems endemic among these people; they call the inhabitants of the barrios things like "monkeys". They are seriously brought up to think of them as subhuman.
Added to that is the media. The main TV networks and newspapers (whose ownership is very concentrated) publish an amazing array of flat-out lies about Chavez. On TV they push opposition ads prominently for free, and when there's some manufactured crisis they routinely cancel all normal programming in favour of anti-Chavez spin announcements. If you're predisposed to semi-believe it by both your prejudice and your class advantage, and then you watch TV and read the papers and they all say Chavez is a communist lunatic, you're going to end up believing some odd things.

The guys who are used to holding the levers of power and are pissed off to find those levers a lot shorter than they remember are a different question. They're nasty, unprincipled, cynical and dangerous.

Uh, just noticed an article that describes the current media situation nicely. Also makes fairly clear that the whole riot thing is a lot smaller than it seems.
the destabilization script

[ 05 March 2004: Message edited by: Rufus Polson ]

quote:

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CARACAS, VENEZUELA – Whether Washington is a hero or hangman of democracy in Latin America may be a matter of political perspective.

Haitians watched last week as US agents whisked leftist President Jean-Bertrand Aristide off to the heart of Africa in what Mr. Aristide describes as a kidnapping. In Venezuela, President Hugo Chavez, another leftist who has antagonized Washington, has harshly accused the White House of backing coup-plotters against him. Critical of US action in Haiti, he warned the US on Friday to "get its hands off Venezuela."

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quote:

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I think we should spend a lot of money building our military to ensure that we have some leverage when negotiating with the USA once their inevitable resource crunch soon arrives.

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Any attempt at such a thing, where the Canadian military reached a significant threat level, would immediatly precipitate the invasion you are hoping to prevent.

Ask Saddam...

[ 09 March 2004: Message edited by: Cueball ]

quote:

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CARACAS, Venezuela - President Hugo Chavez on Sunday vowed to freeze oil exports to the United States and wage a "100-year war" if Washington ever tried to invade Venezuela.

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Nice headline! They vow war if the US invades?! Well Duh, isn't an invasion actually war? But no it is Chavez who is threatening the US. Newsqueak at its finest.

[ 09 March 2004: Message edited by: Cueball ]

quote:

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Originally posted by Cueball:

Any attempt at such a thing, where the Canadian military reached a significant threat level, would immediatly precipitate the invasion you are hoping to prevent.

Ask Saddam...

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The American people are mortified by the idea of casualties and won't stand for invading a well-prepared nation.

quote:

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But Saddam didn't have such a military. Neither did, say, Haiti. Or Grenada, or Panama, or Nicaragua, or Afghanistan. If anything, the US seem to do most of their interventions against the outfits with no way to fight back. They'll often create public backing by lying about this, but that's a separate issue.

---

quote:

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Originally posted by Cueball:
Any attempt at such a thing, where the Canadian military reached a significant threat level, would immediatly precipitate the invasion you are hoping to prevent.

Ask Saddam...

---

NDP Newbie:

quote:

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I think we should spend a lot of money building our military to ensure that we have some leverage when negotiating with the USA once their inevitable resource crunch soon arrives.

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LTJ:

quote:

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I've made that argument myself, Newbie. If we can't defend the sovereignty of our own territory, we can't expect others (even our neighbours) to respect our claim to it.

---

The discussion seems to me to be about a traditional military buildup, not preparing for guerrilla war, as you have put it. Although, both could be inferred from the above.

Myself, I would not trust the Canadian military. In my mind the Canadian military would likely remain neutral, or at worst actively support an occupation by the US, despite some grumbling from the ranks.

I think we have to accept that our lot is very much thrown in with the lot of the people of the USA, whether we like that or not because the integration of the societies is so comprehensive at this point.

This is not the case with places like Iraq and Venezuala, where there is still cultural, economic and political autonomy.

It might be possible (a traditional Canadian Strategy -- Diefenbaker and Trudeau,) to eek out some non-military breathing room by playing of Europe against the US. This is more or less how Chretian managed to side-step the war in Iraq.

quote:

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May 9 (Bloomberg) -- Venezuelan police arrested 56 Colombians in Caracas who President Hugo Chavez said were paramilitary members plotting to kill him.

Venezuelan opposition groups brought the Colombians, now being held on a military base, to the South American country's capital to help overthrow the government, Chavez said.

``This is the tip of the iceberg of subversive groups in Venezuela,'' Chavez said during a televised speech. ``They were planning to kill me.''

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quote:

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CARACAS, Venezuela (Reuters) - Venezuela has asked the U.S. military mission to leave liaison offices at armed forces bases in the country, U.S. Ambassador Charles Shapiro said on Wednesday.

The request appeared to signal a further downgrading of military links between the two countries, whose relations have become strained under the government of left-wing President Hugo Chavez. It was sent to the U.S. Embassy on Friday by Defense Minister Gen. Jorge Garcia.

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quote:

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Some 88 Colombian paramilitaries were apprehended on Sunday May 9 at a ranch, El Hatillo, near Caracas, in Venezuela. These 88 were part of a larger group of 130 who had entered the country. According to the testimony of one of these captured Colombians, the group was training and preparing for yet another operation to overthrow the Venezuelan government.

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quote:

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Venezuela's President, Hugo Chavez . . . also made an important reference to the treatment of the Colombian prisoners by the Venezuelan armed forces. "There will be no torture or hooding, no sadomasochism, because our soldiers and police are not sadistic."

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quote:

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Venezuelan election officials are threatening to limit the role of international election observers, claiming they are biased in favor of the opposition.

Representatives from the Organization of American States and the U.S.-based Carter Center are scheduled to be in Venezuela next week to monitor the nation's recall referendum process.

The review will ensure opposition leaders legitimately obtained the required 2.4 million signatures to hold a vote to recall President Hugo Chavez from office.

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quote:

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...the National Electoral Council Thursday took exception to a joint statement issued earlier this week by the observers. In that statement, the two organizations expressed concern over reports of intimidation of voters who will reconfirm this month that they signed an opposition referendum petition. Election officials said the observers had overstepped their mark by suggesting voters could not withdraw their signatures during the reconfirmation.

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quote:

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CARACAS, Venezuela, May 20 - International observers said Thursday that they would be able to monitor verification of signatures on a petition seeking a referendum against President Hugo Chávez after they resolved a dispute with electoral authorities here.

Last week, Venezuelan officials threatened to curb the participation of the Organization of American States and the Atlanta-based Carter Center after accusing them of favoring opponents seeking a referendum to oust Mr. Chávez.

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quote:

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Opponents of Hugo Chávez, Venezuela's president, claimed victory in their year-long drive to secure a presidential recall referendum.

An official announcement was expected later in the week.

The Democratic Co-ordinator, the umbrealla (sic)opposition group, said the measure had surpassed the required 2.44m signature total.

Just over 750,000 signatures that had been disputed by the National Electoral Council (CNE) were revalidated over the weekend, leaving the total above 2.57m.

---

quote:

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CARACAS, Venezuela (Reuters) - Opponents of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez have won the chance to try to vote him out through a referendum and the left-wing leader says he accepts the challenge.

The populist president faces a recall poll, probably in August, after electoral authorities said initial figures showed the opposition had collected enough valid signatures to trigger the referendum in the world's number five oil exporter.

Opposition leaders called the result a major victory in their campaign to try to vote Chavez out of the presidency, after more than two years of often violent political feuding.

---

quote:

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Don't worry Doc, he can still get of it.

---

Like Allende did on 9-11-73 ?. The madman's boss, "the doctor", said that Chilean's were like children and couldn't be trusted with democracy.

quote:

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Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez urged tens of thousands of supporters Sunday to prepare themselves for a tough fight ahead of a looming recall referendum, kicking off an election campaign that promises to deepen the political divisions in this important oil-producing nation.

"We are not singing victory. We are going to win this battle but we must fight a lot," Chavez shouted, drawing cheers from the throngs filling a Caracas avenue.

---

quote:

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June 7 (Bloomberg) -- Venezuela's National Electoral Council may decide as early as today when to hold a recall vote on President Hugo Chavez, El Nacional reported, citing agency officials.

The Council's five-member board of directors may decide between holding the vote on Aug. 8 or Aug. 15, the newspaper said. Some directors, including Jorge Rodriguez, support pushing the vote back by a week from Aug. 8, the date on which the vote was initially set, because of technical issues.

The council also is expected to release the final figures for the petition drive that resulted in Chavez accepting a vote on his presidency.

---

On a related note...

PdVSA earmarking $750 mill for Chavez's projects

quote:

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June 7 (Bloomberg) -- Petroleos de Venezuela SA, the state oil company, said it kept back $750 million from oil sales to start a development fund, a plan that analysts such as Ricardo Amorim of IDEAglobal said is designed to boost President Hugo Chavez's popularity before a recall election in two months.

Petroleos de Venezuela President Ali Rodriguez said in an interview with the Venpres state news agency that the decision to keep the funds back and not sell the dollars to the central bank complies with the law, after local newspapers such as El Nacional said the plan may be illegal. Petroleos de Venezuela plans to put as much as $2 billion in the fund, which would bypass congress and the central bank, Rodriguez said.

---

quote:

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CARACAS, Venezuela, June 8 - A recall referendum on President Hugo Chávez, whose rule has bitterly divided Venezuelans, has been scheduled for Aug. 15, electoral authorities said Tuesday night.

The president's opponents learned Thursday that they had collected enough signatures to force a referendum but had worried that with administrative or legal challenges, he could push the vote past Aug. 19, the fifth anniversary of his coming to power. According to the Constitution, a vote to recall Mr. Chávez at that point would allow his vice president to run the country and permit Mr. Chávez to run for re-election in 2006.

---

quote:

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CARACAS President Hugo Chávez must face a recall vote on Aug. 15, elections officials said, moving a step closer to the possible ouster of his leftist government.
.
Francisco Carrasquero, the president of Venezuela's elections council, announced late Tuesday that Chávez's opposition had gathered 2.54 million signatures to demand the recall, surpassing the 2.43 million - 20 percent of the electorate - required by Venezuela's Constitution.

---

quote:

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These attempts to overthrow Chávez indicate that a ‘creeping coup’ is under way. They clearly show that the ruling classes throughout Latin America and US imperialism are now determined to remove his regime and replace it with a more pro-capitalist government which US imperialism can rely on. Fox in Mexico, Lagos in Chile and even Lula in Brazil have all, either distanced themselves from Chávez or expressed outright opposition to his regime. They are terrified of the implications of the revolution in Venezuela and the repercussions it potentially could have throughout the region. The leaders of Latin American capitalism are all keen to show their reliability and subservience to the interests of US imperialism.

Unfortunately, reaction has now been given the opportunity to regroup and try to strike again. This has been possible because following each defeat suffered by reaction – because of the mass movement - the revolution unfortunately has not taken decisive steps forward, purged the state and powerful state-owned oil company, PVDSA, of reactionary forces and overthrow capitalism.

A workers’ government has not been established that would introduce a socialist plan of production based upon the nationalisation of the major sectors of industry and the banks and democratically run and managed by the working class. Rather than take such decisive steps, Chávez and the leadership of the movement, have so far tried to placate the forces of reaction, and thereby give them the opportunity to prepare to strike again.

Chávez’s decision to accept the results of the CNE have surprised and shocked many workers and those most oppressed by capitalism who overwhelmingly support his left-populist government. Chávez, in the run up to CNE’s announcement, confidently declared that the opposition would fail to collect the number of signatures needed for the referendum. They would only be able to get the numbers needed on the basis of fraud.

A plebiscite or referendum is often the instrument used by a capitalist ‘bonapartist’ regime or government to subvert the public or democratic will and is often used to as cover for its rule or policies. It is not usually the instrument used by the working class.

However, on occasions it has been used to stop the ruling class carrying through its wishes against the demands of the population e.g. during referendums relating to the euro/EU and in some cases to express opposition to attempts to go to war.

In the case of Venezuela it is being used to try and carry through a counter revolution and overthrow the Chávez regime. It is ironic that this facility was introduced in the constitution by Chávez and his Bolivarian movement.

---

Still an interesting piece, that Socialist thing, and interesting to see a different perspective. But there's places where they just don't seem to get it.

quote:

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CARACAS, Venezuela (Reuters) - A leading campaigner for a vote to oust Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said on Thursday she is being investigated for conspiracy because her group received U.S. funding, and her supporters said the case was politically motivated.

Chavez, who will face a recall vote on his rule Aug. 15, had publicly accused Maria Corina Machado and other members of her Sumate pro-referendum group of "treason" because they had received funds allocated by the U.S. Congress.

---

quote:

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La Jornada reports: Supreme Tribunal of Justice (TSJ) president Ivan Rincon said Saturday that there are no Constitutional barriers to President Hugo Chavez Frias running as a candidate in new elections if his mandate is revoked in the August 15 presidential recall referendum.

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Yes, I know the heading just says something about Colombia's president, but I want to underline the irony of a left-wing President suspected of backing Marxist rebels in Colombia sitting down with a right-wing President whose political fortunes depend on being lapdog to his USA masters.

quote:

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The FOIA documents are posted at http://weisbrot-columns.c.topica.com/maaci1Vaa7hQ2beQvrSbafpNFx/

Several leaders of organizations that received funds from the U.S. Congressionally-financed National Endowment for Democracy (NED) actually signed the decree that established the coup government in April 2002, and abolished Venezuela's General Assembly, Supreme Court, Constitution, and other democratic institutions. Some are still receiving funds from NED.

---

quote:

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Reuters Caracas correspondent Magdalena Morales sets the scene as: Venezuela's capital is awash with red banners, flags and graffiti urging citizens to vote "No" in a referendum next month on whether to recall President Hugo Chavez. But the question some voters are now asking is: Where is the "Yes" campaign?

---

Check out the cool picture of Chavez.

Trade union bosses will cut Venezuela’s petroleum supply to USA if Yes option wins by fraud

quote:

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Union Radio reports: Leaders of the pro-Chavez petroleum workers union SENTRASET has threatened to cut Venezuela’s petroleum supply to the US and start a national strike “if there is new fraud on August 15” that leads to the “Yes” option winning in the presidential recall referendum (RR).

---

Holy smokes. These people ain't foolin' when they raise the stakes like that.

[ 31 July 2004: Message edited by: DrConway ]

quote:

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Leaders of the pro-Chavez petroleum workers union SENTRASET has threatened to cut Venezuela’s petroleum supply to the US

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quote:

---

Originally posted by CMOT Dibbler:
I'm fairly certain that Hugo will soon be shot in the head by a CIA operative.

---

There's still José Rangel, but he's older (in his 50s, I think?) and he seems to be Chavez's sidekick rather than a legitimate leader-in-waiting (contrast with, say, Al Gore, who clearly staked out his own position as an enviro and IT Vice-President and used that to jumpstart his own Presidential campaign). This could hurt him if he runs for President after Chavez's death.

That having been said, Rangel could run and win, but he reminds me (as I said before) of O.K. Allen.

[ 31 July 2004: Message edited by: DrConway ]

Allen was well-known for being long on loyalty and a bit short on individual initiative. An urban legend that surrounds Allen is that he was signing some paperwork Long had told him to sign off on, and an oak leaf blew in the window, landed on Allen's desk and he signed that too, such was his obedience to Huey Long.

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CARACAS, Aug. 4 (Xinhuanet) -- The Venezuelan National Election Council (CNE) denounced Wednesday, less than two weeks ahead of the Aug. 15 referendum, a fraud in some signatures collected to support the recall referendum against Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.

CNE President Jorge Rodriguez indicated, without mentioning numbers, that there are clear evidences that several names share the same fingerprint.

The CNE had validated 1.9 million anti-Chavez signatures out of3.4 million collected by the Venezuelan opposition to seek a recall referendum against Chavez,as some names and identifications were similar.

In the reconfirmation process, the fingerprints of two individuals appear in 32 identification cards and signature-collected notebooks with different names in different states of Venezuela.

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Shot by an Irish film crew who happened to be in Venezuela when the coup happened, they have footage from the palace, the demos, everything. It's quite clear from that movie the extent to which the Anti-Chavez media interests turned the news on it's head and lied outright, continually.

The Rich capitalists in Venezuela are behind all of this shit, they're pissed cuz he's trying to give a fair shake to the poor.

These assholes are the same ones that staged a military coup, once that failed they started forging signatures (there is ample independant verification of this).

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While Chávez has retained his popularity after nearly six years as president, support for overtly pro-US leaders in Latin America, such as Vicente Fox in Mexico and Alejandro Toledo in Peru, has dwindled to nothing. Even the fence-sitting President Lula in Brazil is struggling in the polls. The news that Chávez will win this month's referendum will be bleakly received in Washington.

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CARACAS, Aug. 8 (Xinhuanet) -- Tens of thousands of Venezuelans took to the streets in the capital Caracas on Sunday to show theirsupport to President Hugo Chavez before the recall referendum scheduled for Aug. 15.

Clad in red, they carried signs reading "No" to the recall and "Ahead With the Revolution," expressing their confidence that Chavez will win the referendum.

"This demonstration has no precedent in Venezuela. It's something huge. Today, we win over the opposition in the opinion poll battle and we are now beating them in the street," Vice President Jose Vicente Rangel said to a local TV station.

"The opposition is dead and we will bury it," said Caracas Mayor Freddy Bernal, an Chavez ally, who estimated that 900,000 people participated in the march.

But Caracas fire chief Rodolfo Briceno said the crowd numbered just more than 100,000.

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Well, according to the people who know things, if you take the activists' estimate and the authorities' estimate, then take the midpoint, the "true" number comes out. So I'd say it looks like about 450,000 people went.

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According to a recent survey, 49 percent of those polled said they would vote for Chavez while 41 percent said they would vote against him.

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Give 'em hell, Chavez!

[ 09 August 2004: Message edited by: DrConway ]

Very good point Faith. I've thought for a while now that if there is to be any meaningful change it will come from the South.

They seem so much more sophisticated, knowledgeable and advanced compared to us politically and intellectually.

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Some months ago, a little birdie faxed to me what appeared to be confidential pages from a contract between John Ashcroft's Justice Department and a company called ChoicePoint, Inc., of Atlanta. The deal is part of the War on Terror.

Justice offered up to $67 million of our taxpayer money to ChoicePoint in a no-bid deal for computer profiles with private information on every citizen of half a dozen nations. The choice of citizens to spy on caught my eye. While the September 11 highjackers came from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Lebanon and the Arab Emirates, ChoicePoint's menu offered records on Venezuelans, Brazilians, Nicaraguans, Mexicans and Argentines. How odd. Had the CIA uncovered a Latin plot to sneak suicide tango dancers across the border with exploding enchiladas?

What do these nations have in common besides a lack of involvement in the September 11 attacks? Coincidentally, each is in the throes of major electoral contests in which the leading candidates -- presidents Lula Ignacio da Silva of Brazil, Nestor Kirschner of Argentina, Mexico City mayor Andres Lopez Obrador and Venezuela's Chavez -- have the nerve to challenge the globalization demands of George Bush.

[snip]

If the lists somehow fell into the hands of the Venezuelan opposition, it could immeasurably help their computer-aided drive to recall and remove Chavez. A ChoicePoint flak said the Bush administration told the company they haven't used the lists that way. The PR man didn't say if the Bush spooks laughed when they said it.

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See, there've been too many of these uppity South Americans getting elected. Imagine! challenging the U.S.!

Sounds like time for another campaign of dirty wars in SA.

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So it's only fair to ask: Is Mr. Bush fighting a war on terror -- or a war on democracy?

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The prospect of a supply disruption in Venezuela if President Hugo Chavez loses a referendum on his leadership on Sunday sent the price of oil above $43 in London yesterday.

A barrel of Brent crude for September was up 80 cents to $43.09, while sweet light crude in New York was up 30 cents to $45.80.

While Mr Chavez is currently ahead in the polls, a victory for the opposition would bring his six-year term to a premature end and trigger fresh elections.

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Panorama: President Hugo Chavez Frias is on a win-win ticket, whatever the result

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In its summary of recall referendum news, Maracaibo broadsheet Panorama suggests that any result short of complete failure is favorable to Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez Frias because "even if he loses by a narrow margin, he would be in an excellent position to ward off challengers in the 2006 presidential elections."

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That's only a possibility if Chavez doesn't get bumped off first.

COHA: Sunday’s Venezuelan recall vote on Chavez’ could usher in better times

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COHA Research Associates Mark Scott and Anthony Kolenic write: As the days count down to this Sunday’s recall referendum in Venezuela, the opposition’s once adamantly anti-Chavez rhetoric has now been softened to include conciliatory messages.

Moving from their once unabashedly dogmatic belief in anti-welfare, pro-business policies and an unremitting disdain for Chavez, to a message of understanding, unity and inclusion, could be considered uncharacteristic of the opposition.

Based upon recent domestic opinion polls, Chavez’ critics now seem to realize that they will be unable to generate the necessary breadth of support to recall the President through slanderous and violent tactics.

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After the recall, if Chavez wins, he should open up with both barrels and paste those bastards to the wall. Figuratively speaking, of course.

International electoral organisations to participate in recall referendum

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Venpres: International electoral organizations, such as chambers, courts, tribunals, parliaments and electoral councils across Latin America, have confirmed their presence during the presidential referendum to take place in Venezuela next Sunday.

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This article doesn't seem to directly mention any skullduggery on the part of the opposition, but I'm sure we'll find out tomorrow.

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Author Yves Engler writes: It is surprising that the media -­ left media included -­ has been relatively silent regarding Venezuela’s upcoming presidential recall referendum. Little has been reported ... aside from on Venezuelanalysis.com and VHeadline.com ... about the importance of a Chavez win both domestically and internationally.

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Note: As I write it is already just past noon, Caracas time, according to VHeadline, and the recall referendum is no doubt well under way.

`Victory inevitable,' Chavez says - TorStar

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CARACAS—Venezuelans will go to the polls today to decide whether to remove President Hugo Chavez from office in the latest showdown of a seemingly irremediable political conflict that has torn this nation of 25 million people in two.

If the predictions of victory being made by both sides is any indication, prospects remain bleak that the referendum will bring Venezuela's deeply polarized society closer together.

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CARACAS, VENEZUELA - People in Venezuela were coming out in large numbers Sunday to vote on the future of their president. Long lineups began forming at several polling stations well before they opened.

Fourteen million people are eligible to vote "yes" or "no" in a referendum on whether to recall Hugo Chavez from office or to keep him there for another two years.

The referendum was forced on Chavez by opponents who accuse him of ruining the country's democratic institutions and destroying its economy.

Supporters say Chavez is only trying to help the poor with social programs, including one that would create "people's kitchens" in slums across Venezuela.

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I've never seen such a balanced look at Venezuela's politics before.

[ 15 August 2004: Message edited by: DrConway ]

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ONE person died and 10 others were wounded today when gunmen opened fire on voters just outside Caracas during a referendum on the mandate of Venezuela's controversial president, firefighters said.

"What we know is that voters were in line and people opened fire from motorbikes, and there are 10 people with bullet wounds and one person dead," said Caracas fire chief Rodolfo Briceno.

The incident occurred in an impoverished area 17km east of the capital.

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Of course, "impoverished area" = "Chavez voters". Hmmm.

[ 15 August 2004: Message edited by: beluga2 ]

Forget it...I checked "the Beeb". They were scheduled to close at 8 PM Caracas time (same as EDT) but voting has been extended to midnight.

Don't know how long it'll take to count the ballots...or if there are any dimpled chads to worry about...but maybe we'll hear something Monday morning.

[ 15 August 2004: Message edited by: radiorahim ]

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or if there are any dimpled chads to worry about..

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I think they're voting electronically.

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Aug. 16 (Bloomberg) -- Crude oil futures reached a record $46.75 a barrel amid speculation a referendum in Venezuela on Hugo Chavez's presidency may disrupt shipments from the fourth- largest supplier to the U.S.

A gunman in Venezuela's capital of Caracas killed one person and injured 12 as they stood in line to vote Sunday on whether to recall Chavez. Petroleos de Venezuela, the state oil company, doubled security at its fields, refineries and storage tanks ahead of the vote.

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Although the polls were originally scheduled to have closed by now, thousands of Venezuelans continue to stand in lines at polling stations. The Venezuelan Electoral Council extended voting hours and promised that everyone who wanted to would be able to vote either for or against the removal of President Hugo Chavez. International observers say that, in spite of the delays, the process is going well.

Most of the delays in Sunday's referendum were caused by devices to read voter thumbprints to verify their identity. But another factor was the overwhelming turnout. Tens of thousands of voters lined streets in Caracas before dawn and waited patiently for hours in order to cast their vote.

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Both sides claim Venezuela victory

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CARACAS, Venezuela (Reuters) - Three Venezuelan government ministers say President Hugo Chavez has easily survived a referendum on whether to recall him but their comments conflict with heavy opposition hints they have won.

Electoral authorities had still not announced any official results on Monday.

"We've won this by a long way," one of three cabinet members close to Chavez who did not want to be identified said as they hugged and celebrated at the Miraflores presidential palace in scenes witnessed by Reuters.

The other two ministers made similar claims.

Earlier, senior opposition leaders dropped heavy hints of victory in the referendum that they forced on Chavez. The vote has spooked international energy markets worried by the fate of the world's fifth-largest oil exporter.

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Most of the observers have already said Chavez won, with the exception of the OAS Secretary-General.

http://www.vheadline.com/readnews.asp?id=22443

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Shortly after 4:00 a.m. this morning, National Elections Council (CNE) president Francisco Carresquero went on linked radio/TV to announce preliminary results in yesterday's recall referendum with 94.49% of votes already tallied: President Hugo Chavez Frias got 4,991,483 votes (58.25%) while the opposition mustered only 3,576,557 votes (41.74%).

CNE directors Sobella Mejias and Ezequiel Zamora, known for their opposition allegiances, have launched an objection in a brief press conference following Carrasquero's statement.

Their objection appears to be grounded in scrutineering of the results since the physical voting slips have not yet been delivered to CNE HQ in Caracas and the numbers are based on data from SmartMatic voting machines used in Sunday's process.

Effectively, a recount has been called although there is little likelihood that President Hugo Chavez Frias' 58.2% majority win will be very much affected by what is now down to a paper trail audit.

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President Hugo Chavez survived a popular referendum to oust him, according to results Monday, while Venezuela's opposition swiftly claimed fraud.

Backers of the leftist populist president set off fireworks and began celebrating in the streets of the capital in the pre-dawn darkness upon hearing the news from Francisco Carrasquero, president of the National Elections Council.

Carrasquero stopped short of declaring Chavez the outright winner. But vote counts he released showed the firebrand former army paratrooper had a virtually insurmountable 58-42 percent lead, with 94 percent of the vote counted.

Carrasquero said 4,991,483 votes had been cast against Chavez's recall, with 3,576,517 in favor.

Chavez claimed victory in a victory speech from a palace balcony.

``It is absolutely impossible that the victory of the 'no' be reversed,'' Chavez told thousands of cheering and whistling backers.

Haydee Deutsch, an opposition leader, said fraud had been committed and that the opposition ``has no doubt that we won by an overwhelming majority.''

At the opposition headquarters in Caracas, opponents watching the Carrasquero's announcement on television shouted ``Fraud! Fraud!''

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Oil prices start to drop (ever so slowly)

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As the prospect of political uncertainly in the world's fifth largest oil-producing country receded, the cost of a barrel of crude peaked at a 21-year high of $46.91 (£25.43) in New York before dipping back to $46.21.

Prices fell after results released by the Venezuelan electoral authorities showed the charismatic Mr Chávez had survived a referendum aimed at toppling him with 94% of the vote counted.

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quote:

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Originally posted by Big Nickel:
Has anyone seen the film "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised", or does anyone know where I can purchase a copy?

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good film with some remarkable footage.

doesn't do a good job on contexualising the situation though. most of us know very little about Venezuelan politics.

Stand up, all victims of oppression
For the tyrants fear your might
Don't cling so hard to your possessions
For you have nothing, if you have no rights
Let racist ignorance be ended
For respect makes the empires fall
Freedom is merely privilege extended
Unless enjoyed by one and all

Chorus:
So come brothers and sisters
For the struggle carries on
The Internationale
Unites the world in song
So comrades come rally
For this is the time and place
The international ideal
Unites the human race

Let no one build walls to divide us
Walls of hatred nor walls of stone
Come greet the dawn and stand beside us
We'll live together or we'll die alone
In our world poisoned by exploitation
Those who have taken, now they must give
And end the vanity of nations
We've but one Earth on which to live

And so begins the final drama
In the streets and in the fields
We stand unbowed before their armour
We defy their guns and shields
When we fight, provoked by their aggression
Let us be inspired by like and love
For though they offer us concessions
Change will not come from above
[ 16 August 2004: Message edited by: CMOT Dibbler ]

[ 16 August 2004: Message edited by: CMOT Dibbler ]

[ 16 August 2004: Message edited by: CMOT Dibbler ]

Woot I wasn't awake early enough to get first call at the news on the returns, but a nearly 60%victory in favor of Chavez in one of the most bitterly fought recall referendum campaigns ever seen in the world is really something to behold.

Hopefully the opposition will now work with Chavez and Chavez will stop just blaming bush for evrything.

Expect the inevitable corruption/coverup accusations no matter who wins

[ 16 August 2004: Message edited by: Bacchus ]

This is a crushing defeat for both the Venezuelan business elites and for George W. Bush.

Both Jimmy Carter's group and other international observers have given the result their blessing as being free and fair.

If the elites are smart they'll crawl under a rock for the next two years.

[ 17 August 2004: Message edited by: radiorahim ]