Posted on 07/12/2005 4:58:38 PM PDT by Wiz
CARACAS, Venezuela - Venezuela's only opposition leader to enter a bid so far for next year's presidential vote faces a Herculean task: defeating a wily politician who remains popular after seven years in office.
The odds are against him, but Julio Borges appears undaunted by the challenge posed by President Hugo Chavez, a leftist former paratrooper who was re-elected in 2000 and handily defeated a recall vote last year.
Borges told The Associated Press in an interview he is working toward two goals: convincing Venezuela's poor majority that upward mobility isn't possible under Chavez's populist policies and persuading international observers to monitor next year's election to guarantee transparency.
"We have a very complicated challenge before us," said Borges. "We have to defeat a regime that is not democratic in a democratic manner."
Opposition leaders, including Borges, say Chavez is becoming increasingly authoritarian and holds sway over democratic institutions like the Supreme Court and National Elections Council.
Since he announced his candidacy on May 27, Borges has been knocking on doors nationwide to drum up support for his campaign. He proposes to create jobs through foreign investment rather than further bloating government bureaucracy.
Chavez has chased off foreign investment with his anti-American rhetoric, and the president's "revolutionary" economic policies have failed to reduce poverty-levels in Venezuela, the world's fifth-largest oil exporter, despite record high petroleum prices, said Borges.
Unemployment is above 12 percent, and more than 46 percent of Venezuelans work in the so-called "informal" sector doing odd jobs, hawking household wares in the street or driving taxi cabs, according to the government.
While Chavez's government has received billions of dollars from oil prices that have risen fivefold since he took office in 1999, 49 percent of the population remains poor and 21 percent live in extreme poverty.
"Unemployment and poverty continue to be the biggest problems facing Venezuelans after more than six years," Borges said.
Under Chavez, funds from the state oil company Petroleos de Venezuela S.A. are channeled into a range of programs aimed at the country's poor majority, from literacy classes to farming cooperatives. Critics like Borges say the programs discriminate against government opponents and fail to permanently resolve problems, such the need for better schools.
"The oil money has to for the people, not for the government to give away for political reasons," the 35-year-old lawyer and legislator said.
Borges traveled to Belgium to urge the European Union to send representatives to observe next year's election, which has been tentatively set for Aug. 7. It remains unclear if EU observers will come.
Like many opposition leaders, Borges accuses Chavez of packing the nation's election council with government-friendly directors. The Supreme Court named the current elections council on a temporary basis to organize last year's recall. By law, Congress must appoint replacements.
It is likely that others will announce candidacies. Borges said a primary would be necessary to pick a single opposition candidate.
Even with the odds stacked against him, Borges remains optimistic.
"This is fight between David and Goliath, that's the reality ... But I think we can change that reality," Borges said with a grin.
Venezuela election news ping!
Mark my words, that election will never take place, or if it does, Chavez will be the only candidate on the ballot.
has jimmy carter announced his job as chavez's campaign manager yet?
His first challenge is to insure effective monitoring of the ballot boxes. That means getting someone besides the Carter Center to do this very necessary work.
Or, you can try to buy Carter, but I doubt Borges can outbid Chavez, whatever Borges offers, Chavez can double it.
So job one is get rid of the Carter Center and get monitors who can't be bought.
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