Latin American Christian Democrats Call for Removal of Hugo Chavez and Fidel Castro (Translation)

The Christian Democratic Organization of America warns about risks of Populism and calls upon related parties to work to remove rulers like Hugo Chavez and Fidel Castro from power.

The Christian Democratic Organization of America (ODCA) will promote the transition to democracy in Cuba and the liberation of political prisoners and will strive for the recovery of those governments in Latin America which are in the hands of the Left, the President of the body, Manuel Espino Barrientos, indicated.

In a press conference, the man who is also the national director of the PAN Party¹ affirmed that those parties who make up the ODCA agreed to seek the bringing together of the greater part of political actors and rulers in the idea that in Cuba what is lacking is a national reconciliation; that all Cubans should assume among themselves the challenge of the peaceful transition to democracy.

He stated: "With respect to Cuba, we would like the greater number of [political] actors to recognize that the principal deterioration is between the dictatorship and the Cuban people, not between the United States and Cuba; it is a problem of the internal character of that people."

And he added: "We will try to get agreement on the necessity of the liberation of political prisoners, which must be the central political emphasis of all international efforts, to promote the free entrance and exit to the country so as to promote contact among and reunification of Cuban families."

Furthermore, he said, "we will promote a proactive support of the initiatives of the Cuban opposition, in particular those coming from the democratic movement on political prisoners."

With respect to other regions of America, Manuel Espino pointed out: "We want to synergize the action of parties because we are working towards common objectives; we are all working together [in the electoral campaigns] for the governments of the Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, and Brazil."

"We will offer solid services in qualifying [candidates], methods of working for electoral campaigns. We must recover the value of politics because in a non-democratic environment, politics becomes a difficult task."

Espino Barrientos assured everyone that the fact that the ODCA tries to form alliances to see to it that parties distinguished from those which profess an ideology of the left win elections in various countries of Latin America, and at the same time to promote a national reconciliation and democratic transition in Cuba, that it would not interfere with the plans of President Felipe Calderon to seek rapprochement with some governments.²

He emphasized: "Neither in the ODCA nor in the PAN Party do we attempt to have brushes with anyone; in this we are totally in agreement with President Calderon, so it is going to be very easy to form a working relationship with him."

With respect to Venezuela, Manuel Espino indicated that in that country "they have not had governments of the right, only humanists of the center, individual politicians in electoral competition who were respectful of the laws and the will of the citizens when those communities opted for other political projects."

Manuel Espino indicated that the ODCA has the best political program for Latin America and the Carribean "and we will know how to sell it to the people."

"Latin America is running the danger of falling into the populism of the left which drives Hugo Chavez and Fidel Castro and, with it, puts at risk the well-being of millions of people," Marcelino Miyares, Vice President of Political Action of the Christian Democratic Organization of America (ODCA) warned.

Also, he indicated that the so-called parties of the democratic center must work arduously to fill the vacuum and the lack of political leadership in the Latin American region, after taking away "the power" which the leaders of Venezuela and Cuba have attained.

He affirmed that the President of Mexico, Felipe Calderon Hinojosa, is an example to follow and his country is not running the risk of falling into populist politics. "Fortunately they have a center democratic government and surely that is going to permit them to resolve their serious problems, though acting with responsibility and social sensibility," he added.

In an interview he mentioned that Christian Democracy in Latin America must fill the vacuum which exists for the lack of political leadership which in some manner Chavez and Castro are filling. The proof of this, he said, is that which is now happening in Bolivia and Ecuador.³

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Translator's Notes:

¹ The PAN Party, or "National Action Party," is the center-right political party of current Mexican President Felipe Calderon.

² Calderon has stated an eagerness to reestablish normal relations with Venezuela in particular, which were adversely affected by the December, 2005 expulsion of the Venezuelan Ambassador to Mexico, Vladimir Villegas, for interference in Mexican internal affairs during the presidential campaign.

³ The victories of hard left candidates Evo Morales in Bolivia in 2005 and Rafael Correa in Ecuador this past December have been considered major successes for the Left in Latin America.

There is a lot more going on here that might meet the eye at first and, even though it is by no means an earth-shaking development at present, the longer-term implications of what this story reveals about what is happening in Latin American politics may be quite profound and something that offers hope.

It appears that the recent efforts of the hard left regimes of Hugo Chavez, Evo Morales, and Rafael Correa -- I'm leaving Daniel Ortega out on purpose because his national legislature opposes him -- in developing an ideological foreign policy that transcends national boundaries is provoking a response and a challenge. In a sentence, opponents of the Left in Latin America may be standing up to promote their own alternative. And the open call to remove Chavez and Castro from power qualifies their effort as a confrontational one, something I applaud in no uncertain terms.

For those of you who may not be aware, the tradition of "Christian Democracy" in Latin America is that of a genuinely political movement, with political parties bearing the name and a history of some success, though not much in recent memory. They are particularly important in Chile, where they joined Chilean leftist Michelle Bachelet in a coalition government whose internal ties have been shaky to say the least. And in its international makeup, the Chilean Christian Democrats have long exercised a strong influence, something which may be changing now, which is why the Mexican location chosen for this meeting, the selection of the head of Mexico's PAN Party to lead the organization, and its touting of Felipe Calderon as a worthy example for Latin American leaders to follow are important.

Traditionally, Mexico has had little association with the larger body of Christian Democratic parties in Latin America. In part this has been due to the fact that Mexican politics has usually looked to its own leaders for political inspiration and ideas. The real centers of Christian Democratic organization were always Chile, Argentina, and Brazil; though affiliated parties in Costa Rica and elsewhere have been at times successful. However; as many of you who have been following the "Mexican Left Watch" threads will be well aware, the larger Latin American political context has expanded to include Mexico recently, as we have been pointing out repeatedly, in that Lopez Obrador's presidential candidacy last year and the activities of the APPO leftists in Oaxaca have all been assisted (see Comments esp.) by Venezuelan, Cuban, and even Bolivian support. This intrusion of the Latin American Left into Mexican political life is now apparently being answered by opponents of the Left both in Mexico and abroad in Latin America. The Christian Democratic Organization's web site even stresses the importance of having a Mexican and the leader of the PAN Party as its President.

One of the key points contained in the quoted statements of Manuel Espino Barrientos above is the emphasis upon securing capable and effective "political leadership" in developing a challenge to the Left in Latin America. And on that point, the signficance of this release becomes clear -- Felipe Calderon's prestige is growing rapidly in Latin America as the political center and right are both recognizing him as a leader in whom they can place trust. We should all keep in mind that the confrontation between the hard left Hugo Chavez and his followers represent must be made across a broad front, certainly involving more than just a war of ideas. Opponents of Chavez's Bolivarianismo need a leader they can point to as a worthy example to hold up in contrast, and the Christian Democrats are moving very quickly to single out Calderon.

Finally; I must point out that the above news item may portend ill for the future political fortunes of Chile's President Michelle Bachelet. Chile's Christian Democrats, who form a vital part of her center-left coalition government, have been openly at odds with Hugo Chavez and very critical of Bachelet's ties with the Venezuelan President. The fact that the larger Christian Democratic Organization is now calling for Chavez's ouster from power outright cannot be considered anything less than a direct warning to Bachelet that any maintenance of close ties with Chavez's Venezuela, which have been diminished recently, will be met with open opposition. And that does not even begin to raise the question of the rhetoric associated with the Christian Democratic statements shown above, which seems to portend for direct confrontation.

". . . The Left has for years been involved in cross-border activities that don't seem to be countered by the forces of the Right. Maybe this group is a step in that direction."

speedy, you have really gotten to the heart of it here.

This is something qualitatively new in its formulation of an international anti-Left alliance in Latin America and quantitatively new in that Mexico is joining the fray.

I must be honest and say that they have a long way to go, but what I'm particularly wondering about is whether Felipe Calderon will enter into the ideological war now being waged and openly take-on Chavez in full view of the rest of Latin America. Calderon is a most intelligent man -- Harvard educated -- and based upon what I myself have heard and understood of the man in what I have seen in televised newsclips and read in print I have no doubt he could make picadillo (rough translation="mincemeat") of Chavez rather easily.

If I see that, I will be posting.

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