Chavez Refusal For Early President Vote

yahoo.com news ^ | April 25, 2003 | CHRISTOPHER TOOTHAKER, AP

[Cincinatus' Wife]

CARACAS, Venezuela - Venezuela refused to sign an internationally brokered agreement Thursday for a referendum on President Hugo Chavez's presidency.

The refusal cast doubt on prospects for any vote on Chavez's six-year term, which ends in 2007. Venezuela's opposition staged a two-month general strike this winter to demand the plebiscite.

Chavez didn't budge, but after five months of negotiations, the Organization of American States announced on April 11 the two sides had agreed on a plan for a referendum.

Vice President Jose Vicente Rangel said Thursday the government objected to several points of the agreement, including that the vote be monitored by international organizations.

"We reject all pressure coming from here and abroad," Rangel said. "Venezuela is not a colony."

Venezuela's opposition wants to ask citizens whether Chavez, whose presidency has been marked by political and economic turmoil, should resign.

A former army paratrooper, Chavez was imprisoned for two years for leading a failed coup attempt in 1992. He was elected in 1998 on an anti-poverty, anti-corruption platform and re-elected in 2000.

Secretary of State Colin Powell recently said that if Chavez agreed to a vote, "then he will be showing a commitment to democracy of the kind we believe is the correct form of democracy for our hemisphere."

The Organization of American States said the vote should be overseen by its own monitors, as well as the United Nations and the Atlanta-based Carter Center.

Rangel spoke after meeting with OAS Secretary General Cesar Gaviria. Gaviria said the opposition would evaluate the government's objections.

Opposition negotiator Rafael Alfonzo said Chavez's opponents would press ahead to get an early vote.

Chavez said Thursday that before a referendum can held, Congress must select a new elections council,voter rolls must be updated, and opponents must collect signatures to demand the vote.

Venezuela's opposition already has collected more than 2.5 million signatures, more than enough to call the vote. Chavez claims the signatures are invalid because they were gathered before the midpoint of his term, or August. The case is before the courts.

"We can't allow them to constantly change the rules of the game," Alfonzo told Union Radio. "The referendum will be held whether the government wants it or not."

Meanwhile, two army officers discharged for allegedly keeping Chavez in custody during last year's brief coup requested asylum Thursday from the Dominican Republic, a dissident general said.

Captains Alfredo and Ricardo Salazar cited "political persecution" in their asylum requests, National Guard Gen. Felipe Rodriguez told The Associated Press.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Chavez doesn't have any intention of letting the voice of the people remove him from power.

Hugo Chavez - Venezuela

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez speaks to supporters at a rally earlier this month. OAS Secretary General Cesar Gaviria has said a deal Chavez made with opposition groups seeking his recall is likely to collapse(AFP/File/Juan Barreto)

*** "Nobody is leaving! We will stay for ever, fighting battles," Chavez said to the cheering crowd. He promised to remain in power until 2021. Chavez railed against global imperialism and "savage neoliberalism," and claimed the coup against him had been promoted by foreign interests and carried out by "the fascist oligarchy" within Venezuela.*** --AP source

[meenie]

This is a tragedy for the Venzuelan people. The longer this goes on the worse the economy becomes.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

He's driving businesses and the economy into the ground making it easier for him to take total control.

Left turn: 'Revolution' hits Venezuela's oil culture - PDVSA beachhead for Chavez's vision

[livius]

There was a great article by Mary Anastasia O 'Grady in today's Wall Street Journal, discussing Allende (after Powell's stupid remark) and drawing the comparison between Allende and Chavez.

Allende was also a very unpopular elected left-wing president who immediately took steps to undo the democratic process and destroy the economy. There was enormous popular resentment against him and a strong movement to remove him. The rebellion of the military against Allende was widely supported by Chileans. All of this has conveniently been forgotten by the liberal media and, apparently, our State Department.

The advantage the Chilean people had was that the military still remained as a separate force. Chavez, on the other hand, has effectively taken over the military, and has now removed any power the police may have had. So this leaves civil war and street fighting as the only option for Venezuelans.

Something has got to be done about this soon.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Thank you for relating the Wall Street article.

The State Dept. doesn't appear to be doing much about the Latin American mess.

[Free the USA]

http://www.freerepublic.com/perl/bump-list

[hchutch]

Oh, they were able to put Carlos Castano's AUC on the same list as al-Qaeda and FARC. Never mind the fact that the AUC would be able to efficiently solve the FARC/ELN problem we have.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

When you lie down with dogs you get up with fleas. But I don't think we should throw out a valuable "in country" network.

[hchutch]

Dunno - Castano's backed up before at great risk to himself. He was a key player in a group called Los Pepes, which efficiently ripped the guts out of the Medellin Cartel.

The man's fighting the bad guys.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

That's what I mean. You use what will work, with people who can do the job. Unlike the Clinton CIA saying they can't work with unsavory people.