Posted on 11/30/2006 9:42:08 PM PST by KentTrappedInLiberalSeattle
CARACAS, Venezuela Nov 30, 2006 (AP)— President Hugo Chavez said Thursday during a marathon news conference that authorities had foiled a planned sniper attack against his main opponent in this weekend's elections.
As campaigning ended ahead of Sunday's vote, Chavez said "fascist" militants had planned to use a rifle with a telescopic sight to shoot Manuel Rosales during a speech and then blame it on Chavez's government in hopes of derailing the balloting.
"It was to say that Chavez sent them to kill him, and generate chaos," Chavez told reporters at the presidential palace.
The Venezuelan leader used the 3 1/2-hour news conference to laud achievements of his "people's revolution" citing statistics on lowered unemployment, a deep drop in poverty and petroleum-fueled economic growth.
He even quoted analysts from major foreign banks as saying the most dangerous scenario for this politically polarized country would be a Chavez election loss.
Chavez also said that upon re-election he would immediately convene a special commission to propose constitutional reforms to be approved by voters, likely including an end to presidential term limits. The current constitution would bar Chavez from running again in 2012.
Campaigning ended Thursday with red-clad Chavez supporters parading through downtown Caracas chanting: "Chavez isn't going anywhere!"
Rosales supporters cite polls showing Sunday's balloting will be tight, although an independent AP-Ipsos survey and other recent polls found Chavez with a large lead.
Rosales has called the vote a choice between democracy and an increasingly authoritarian Cuba-style system. Chavez, who was swept into power in 1998 on popular discontent with a corrupt political class, calls Rosales a U.S. lackey.
On the alleged assassination plot, Chavez said authorities had seized the rifle from a vehicle. In answer to a reporter's question later, he said that a military officer had been arrested for meeting with civilian plotters. He did not offer further details.
A high-ranking military official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he's not authorized to talk to reporters, confirmed that a naval officer was under investigation.
Rosales' campaign said it had no knowledge of the plan.
"This is a smoke screen. It's to manipulate the people, but nobody believes that," said Timoteao Zambrano, one of Rosales' campaign managers.
"The government is obliged to safeguard the lives of all Venezuelans, and that includes the presidential candidate," Zambrano said. "If something were to happen to our candidate, the government would be responsible."
Chavez has taken advantage of Venezuela's oil wealth to lavish the poor with programs that provide everything from subsidized food to free health care and education. And he persistently accuses the "imperialist" U.S. government of trying to topple him, on Thursday saying the "U.S. empire" had done more damage to Latin America than colonial Spain.
He urged his enemies to respect the result of the vote, calling an upset impossible and suggesting that some opposition activists are planning post-election violence.
"There are two options here ours and that of the U.S. empire and its flunkeys here, who were the ones who staged the coup," Chavez said, referring to a two-day coup in 2002. Chavez was returned to power by street protests and loyalists in the military.
Rosales said his supporters would be on alert for possible vote fraud.
"It has to be a clean game … If that happens, all of us will be calm," Rosales, a political veteran who is ex-governor of Zulia state, told The Associated Press shortly before closing his campaign with a rally of hundreds of thousands in Maracaibo, Venezuela's second-largest city.
He has managed to unite Venezuela's opposition movement for the first time since a crushing defeat in a 2004 recall referendum against Chavez.
Chavez accused Rosales of lying about signing a document supporting the short-lived coup.
"Everyone saw the ex-governor here in this room signing the coup proclamation. So he's said no, that what he signed was an attendance sheet," Chavez said.
"What nerve! And a gentleman like that wants to be president!" Chavez said, adding, "A liar cannot be president of a country, much less of Venezuela."
Chavez insisted that his proposal for constitutional changes to do away with presidential term limits "is not a dictatorship, it's democracy." He noted that presidents of France have served long periods in power.
Venezuela has become increasingly polarized along class lines, with the wealthier supporting Rosales, the poor backing Chavez and a fractured middle class.
Shoppers are packing supermarkets to stock up on supplies, fearful that Sunday's outcome could prompt street protests and violence.
"Chavez insisted that his proposal for constitutional changes to do away with presidential term limits 'is not a dictatorship, it's democracy.'"
Yep.
So now Chavez can go ahead liquidate Rosales since he's set the situation up to take the blame off himself. This Chavez is such a clever guy.
the MSM orgasm that was heard around the world..
Or the pre-election spin to distract from the fact that he is going to count votes in a way that even the Diebold conspiracists could never dream up. Chavez will again turn exit polls showing a 60% defeat into a 60% victory after the ballots are counted.
Chavez has now laid down HIS cover; should anything 'happen' to his opponent.
And yes, Hugo. . .Democracy is a 'no vote'. . .
Slavery is Freedom.
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