January 23, 2002 - Rivals Mark Venezuela Anniversary (march for and against Chavez's power grab)*** CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) - Hundreds of thousands of demonstrators marched in Caracas on Wednesday both for and against the government as the country marked the 44th anniversary of independence. An anti-government crowd estimated at just above 100,000 banged pots, pans and drums and complained the government threatens liberties gained since a popular uprising ousted Venezuela's last dictator on Jan. 23, 1958. Blocks away, an enthusiastic crowd of similar size marched to support President Hugo Chavez. Supporters claim the president is delivering the country from a corrupt oligarchy that took over after Gen. Marcos Perez Jimenez was ousted. Chavez, wearing a red beret, joined the march and was mobbed by jubilant supporters. ***
February 6, 2002 - U.S. Criticizes Venezuela President's Style -Colin Powell: "We have been concerned with some of the actions of Venezuelan President Chavez and his understanding of what a democratic system is all about. We have also gone to some of our friends in the region to suggest to President Chavez that there are perhaps better ways to ... deal with the challenges his country is facing."***
February 7, 2002 - Venezuelan Chavez Says He's Democrat Not Communist *** "I am not a communist. ... I am very clear about which direction my country is going," the 47-year-old president, who is known for his abrasive, outspoken leadership style, said in the city of Maracay after swearing in a new trade minister. In an indirect response to critical comments made on Tuesday by Secretary of State Colin Powell, Chavez firmly defended his government's right to follow the policies it chose "because this is a sovereign and independent nation." Chavez, a firebrand populist who won a 1998 election six years after attempting a coup, spoke a day after Powell criticized his ideas on democracy, his fraternizing with U.S. enemies and his questioning of the war on terrorism. Powell's remarks dealt a further blow to already-falling investor confidence in Venezuela, the world's No. 4 oil exporter and a leading supplier of crude to the United States.***
April 7, 2002 - Chavez strikes back at protesting oil execs - tankers unable to load***Fedecamaras, the country's largest business association, said its members would join the strike. It will be the second time in Chavez's 3-year-old presidency that union workers and business leaders joined to paralyze the country. Undeterred by the firings,PDVSA employees staged a noisy protest outside the corporation's Caracas headquarters, chanting "not one step back" and banging pots and pans. "Our patience in this conflict has been obvious," Chavez said in his weekly radio show. "We have been soft. That has been our error. They have crossed the line." "Tomorrow there may be more" firings, he added.***