Chavez Continues Power Grab
Hugo Chavez, with the backing of his guys in the Venezuelan Congress, continues to consolidate his power.
CARACAS (Reuters) – Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez was sworn in on Wednesday for a new six-year term that he vowed to use to press a radical socialist revolution including nationalizations that have roiled financial markets.
Emboldened by his landslide re-election win, the typically combative anti-U.S. leader has gone on the attack, deciding to strip a private opposition TV channel of its license and take over some major companies owned by foreign investors.
“Fatherland, socialism or death — I take the oath,” Chavez said.
The man who calls Cuban President Fidel Castro his mentor changed tradition by draping the presidential sash from his left shoulder instead of his right in what he says is a symbol of his socialist credentials.
Legislators at the ceremony in Congress chanted “Long live socialism.”
Investors took fright this week at the leftist drive that further consolidates power in the hands of a former coup leader who already controls Congress, the courts and says he has total support in the army and the giant state oil company.
As the United States criticized Chavez’s moves against private property, the stock market lost almost a fifth of its value on Tuesday, debt prices tumbled to a six-week low and the currency changed hands at nearly twice the official rate
But he’s not worried.
Still, buoyed by strong oil revenues and high popularity, Chavez is expected to ride out any economic and political storm.
Something tells me that there’s a high correlation between “strong oil revenues” and “high popularity”. If he’s buying the latter with the former, like he’s doing in Harlem, it’s no wonder he keeps getting re-elected.
In the meantime, he’s planning on holding on to this power for as long as he can make it last, never mind term limits.
A leading anti-U.S. voice in the world and in the vanguard of a shift to the left in Latin America, Chavez now wants to scrap presidential term limits and lead the OPEC nation for decades.
Chavez, who rode to Congress for the swearing-in ceremony in an open-top car waving at crowds of supporters, has said his new term’s plans include stripping the central bank of its autonomy and taking on special legislative powers.
…
Chavez’s nationalization plans remain hazy and the utilities and foreign investors want to know whether he plans to take a 51-percent governing stake or seize all of their enterprises.
Chavez has already confiscated large cattle ranches. But his decision to nationalize the country’s biggest telecommunications company CANTV and power firms represents a bold new policy.
Calling him a dictator may not be technically correct, but in word and deed he is most certainly consolidating his hold over the country and ensuring it continues, stealing entire business sectors if need be.
Next time you see a Sheehan or a Belafonte plant a big wet one on him, just remember who supports him and who his useful idiots are.
Technorati Tags: Hugo Chavez, Venezuela, Democrats, Cindy Sheehan, Harry Belafonte, Jimmy Carter
Filed under: Democrats • Foreign Policy • Venezuela
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Hold on to power as long as he can? Big deal…that would make him like most politicians.
Abolish term limits? That would make him like Ike…
“The United States ought to be able to choose for its president anybody it wants, regardless of the number of terms he has served. I have got the utmost faith in the long-term common sense of the American people.”
Dwight Eisenhower on the eve of his 1956 reelection.
The parallel can only really be drawn if you have faith in Venezuelan elections. Following some of the links at the end will give some indications that they’re not entirely on the up-and-up.
Further, Congress is full of his cronies who will ram through this full-blown socialism and power grab on the Venezuelan people. When Republicans held the legislative and executive branches, Democrats were horrified. But nary a word when their socialist buddy has an even bigger hold in his country. Here, a constitutional amendment–a very bipartisan process–set term limits. Doubtful that Chavez will get such resistance to his move. A very different situation.
The parallel can only really be drawn if you have faith in Venezuelan elections. Following some of the links at the end will give some indications that they’re not entirely on the up-and-up.
Many complaint about US elections as well.
Given the frequent polling and presence of numerous international observers in the Venezuelan elections there seems to be little doubt that Chavez has the support of the majority of Venezuelans.
Also Venezuelans themselves are much more satified with their government and democracy than most other countries in South America.
http://www.latinobarometro.org/uploads/media/2005_02.pdf
“Many” is pretty vague and creates a false equivalence. The document you link to says that only 49% of Venezuelans think their elections are “clean” and that 29% know of someone who has been pressured or bribed to vote a certain way. I highly doubt that those percentages would be anywhere near that in the US, so don’t try to hand-wave that away with just saying that people here complain, too.
(And as the last two elections showed, Democrats only complain about voter fraud and Diebold machines when they lose.)
A government that robs from Peter and gives to Paul (after taking it’s substantial cut off the top) is guaranteed the vote of Paul. That’s what’s going on with Chavez’s road to socialism, so short-term satisfaction doesn’t impress me. If the price of oil ever drops again, reducing the largess being used for Paul, those numbers will turn around really quickly.