Posted on 09/12/2003 2:28:49 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
Imagine a Californian losing her job or a student grant simply because the governor didn't approve the fact that she signed a recall petition. That would be outrageous in a democracy that checks abuses of power. Yet it is what's happening today in Venezuela, where President Hugo Chávez's heavy-handed campaign to block his recall is threatening constitutional democracy.
The Organization of American States, the Carter Center and other friends of Venezuela should remind Mr. Chávez that he mustn't break his own constitutional rule. Yes, he was elected legitimately in a landslide vote and shouldn't be ousted by force or any other illegal means. But his opposition has a constitutional right to petition for his recall, a right enshrined in the constitution that Mr. Chávez designed. His government also agreed to respect the recall process in an OAS-brokered agreement last May. However much Mr. Chávez tries to skirt the rule of law, Venezuelans and the international community must hold him to account.
The 1999 constitution's recall provisions permit an up-or-down vote on the president after the midpoint of a term, which, for Mr. Chávez, occurred last month. Opposition activists say that they have delivered more than three million signatures petitioning such a referendum, and polls suggest that he would lose the vote. The new National Electoral Council is expected to announce soon whether the recall goes forward. But Mr. Chávez is already poisoning the atmosphere. He has declared the signatures ''illegal'' -- without proof -- and that the council will be a ''destabilizing element'' if it validates them.
Fortunately, the council, which has been remarkably acceptable to the hostile government and opposition camps, is resisting interference. It rebuffed a government prosecutor who showed up at a council meeting last week with a SWAT team in Darth Vader gear carrying assault weapons. Her stated mission was to look for allegedly fraudulent signatures on petitions for a moot recall election that never happened in February. Clearly, the real aim was to intimidate the council and anyone who dared sign a recall petition.
That intimidation has gone further. Petition signers have lost their jobs with government agencies and contractors as well as government study grants and internships. Sadly ironic, even the government ombudsman's office, which is supposed to protect Venezuelans from government abuse, isn't free from such tactics. Current and former employees told The Herald that the ombudsman, a loyal Chavista, has fired workers who oppose the president.
Such intimidation is an abuse of power that should be challenged in court. It's also the very political corruption that Mr. Chávez campaigned against and vowed to eradicate. Apparently Mr. Chávez wants his rule of law to vary according to whether you support or oppose him. That's not how democracies operate.
The fear, of course, is that Mr. Chávez may resort to more extreme, unconstitutional measures to stop a recall referendum that he fears losing. Venezuelans and the international community should ensure that Mr. Chavez fulfills his obligations by allowing a legal, peaceful resolution of Venezuela's political crisis.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.