Tag Archives: Chávez Regime

Apr
20
2012
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In Case You Missed It… Articles Roundup Week of 4/20/12

This week: President Chávez continues to receive cancer treatment in Cuba, as his illness forces him to skip the Summit of the Americas; A former Venezuelan judge alleges that high-ranking officials in the government are complicit in the country’s illegal drug trade; State-run oil company PDVSA posts surging profits, but also reports a 69 percent increase in oil spills. Meanwhile, the International Monetary Fund expresses concern about the damage rampant inflation is doing to Venezuela’s economy; Polling data shows that Venezuelans are opposed to Chávez’s policies on housing, roads and education; and Chávez applauds Argentina’s expropriation of Spanish oil assets.

Venezuela’s Chavez skips summit citing medical reasons, heads to Cuba for cancer treatment, Associated Press via The Washington Post

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez skipped the Summit of the Americas for medical reasons Saturday and headed to Cuba to continue with cancer treatment that is increasingly forcing him out of the international spotlight.

Venezuela ex-judge says officials tried to manipulate judiciary, government dismisses claims, AP via The Washington Post

A fired judge’s allegations that high-ranking officials in President Hugo Chavez’s government and military manipulate Venezuelan court cases were dismissed on Thursday by the country’s foreign minister, who said the ex-judge isn’t credible because he was removed for alleged ties to a prominent drug suspect.

TNK-BP Said to Seek $200 Million From PDVSA at Venezuela Venture, Business Week

TNK-BP, BP Plc (BP/)’s Russian venture with a group of billionaires, estimates it’s owed more than $200 million by Petroleos de Venezuela SA for crude sales from their heavy oil venture, said two people with knowledge of the matter.

PDVSA Profit Surges 42% in 2011 on Record Export Oil Price, Business Week

Petroleos de Venezuela SA, the state oil company, said net income surged 42.4 percent last year to $4.5 billion as the average price for the country’s crude-oil exports rose to a record high. PDVSA, as the company is known, said that revenue rose 31.4 percent to $124.8 billion.

Oil spills up 69% in 2011 in Venezuela, El Universal

The numbers disclosed by state-run oil firm Petróleos de Venezuela (Pdvsa) confirm an increase in the number of oil spills. Although the 2011 report on social and environmental management highlights “significant progress” in environmental matters, the government statistics show otherwise.

Chavez battles re-election hurdle: Venezuela inflation, Reuters

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is so determined to contain one of the world’s highest inflation rates in an election year that his price control officials are sticking signs outside stores to enforce compliance.

IMF voices concern about Venezuela’s inflation, El Universal

The International Monetary Fund said in its World Economic Outlook that Venezuelan economy is expected to grow in 2012 and 2013, but it showed concerned about the country’s high inflation rate.  The IMF forecast that the Venezuelan economy will grow 4.7% in 2012, with a slowdown in 2013 (3.2%).

Pollster: 72% of the population says that housing policy is negative, El Universal

Luis Vicente León, the director of polling firm Datanálisis said that 72% of Venezuelans believe that the government housing policy is negative.

Venezuela’s election battle: Chavez vs Chavez, Reuters

Hugo Chavez’s biggest enemy ahead of this year’s presidential election in Venezuela could be the socialist leader himself. It is a battle between the sick Chavez who needs peace and quiet to recover from cancer, and the workaholic Chavez determined to keep up the pace to win re-election in October in the toughest political fight of his life.

Documents: Closing of Miami’s Venezuelan consulate was punishment for Chávez foes, Miami Herald

The closing of the Venezuelan consulate in Miami was more about punishing the “feverish” opponents of President Hugo Chávez who live in South Florida than a response to Washington’s decision to expel the consul, according to documents obtained by El Nuevo Herald.

Chavez applauds Argentina’s seizure of Spanish oil assets, London Evening Standard

Fears that Argentina is embarking on a full-scale Venezuelan-style forced nationalisation of foreign-owned oil assets mounted today as President Hugo Chavez gave the country a massive supportive pat on the back.

 
Apr
11
2012
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A Minimum Wage Increase Likely Not to Last Long

download A Minimum Wage Increase Likely Not to Last Long

On Saturday, during a televised cabinet meeting, Chávez announced that the minimum wage in Venezuela would be raised by almost a third. The statement came mere hours before Chávez boarded a late-night plane back to Cuba for more radiation treatments.

The 32.25 percent pay increase is scheduled to take place in two stages – 15 percent on May 1 and the remainder on September 1. However, the timing of this announcement – and of the pay increases themselves – is hardly incidental.

The May 1 increase may give Chávez a much sought-after bump in popularity in the short-term, and the second increase, on September 1, will come just weeks before the October 7 election. Not to mention the announcement had the added effect of changing the media’s focus, albeit briefly, away from the continuing saga of Chávez’s health.

While Chávez has a practice of instituting a pay increase to coincide with International Workers’ Day on May 1, inflation consistently outpaces any increase in wages. Case in point: Chávez increased the minimum wage by 26.5 percent in 2011, but the inflation rate was 27.6 percent that year. Luis Vicente León, president of polling firm Datanálisis, said the actual increase in workers’ buying power will be minimal because of inflation. While the 32.25 percent wage adjustment this year actually exceeds the 25 percent inflation rate forecast for 2012, León said this was politically motivated: “It was clear that the government was going to be more aggressive in increasing the minimum wage in an election year.” He also noted that the impact on production costs will be considerable and the hike in labor costs will hit investment.

Jorge Roig, Vice President of the Venezuelan Federation of Chambers of Commerce (Fedecámaras), expressed the same concerns in an interview with Radio Union News, noting “the salary increase will be diluted … with inflation” and “the government’s strategy has been thoughtless.” Back in May 2011, the last time the Venezuelan government increased the minimum wage, Washington Post blogger William J. Dobson commented:

“[Chávez’s real goal] is to inject enough short-term cash into people’s wallets to raise his chances for reelection in 2012. Never mind that that cash will disappear from their wallets as the minimum wage hikes fail to keep pace with inflation. Indeed, Chávez’s newly announced measures will make inflation worse. But he isn’t concerned with that. As he told a crowd this week, ‘I have a year and a half more in this government, then six more in the next one.’ That is Chávez’s main consideration.

 
Apr
6
2012
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In Case You Missed It… Articles Roundup Week of 4/6/12

In this week’s roundup… Hugo Chávez travels to Cuba to undergo radiation treatment, and returns Thursday to his home state of Barinas on Thursday; MUD candidate Henrique Capriles embarks on a three-month, “house-by-house” tour of the country; a poll shows Chávez and Capriles in a statistical tie ahead of the presidential election; the European Union bans Venezuelan airline Conviasa from flying in the EU due to “numerous safety concerns”; poor maintenance at the refineries of state-run oil company PDVSA raise safety concerns; cables released by Wikileaks show that Cuban spies with direct access to Chávez are playing a key role in supporting his regime; and the construction of a 170 feet tall mausoleum to hold the remains of Simón Bolívar causes confusion and outrage.

120404085229 chavez castro story top In Case You Missed It… Articles Roundup Week of 4/6/12
Courtesy of: CNN

Venezuelan leader returns to Cuba for treatment, Associated Press

Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez traveled to Cuba on Saturday for another round of cancer treatment, saying he will be in Havana for several days and then return home. Chávez boarded the presidential jet on Saturday night accompanied by one of his daughters. His aides and military chiefs saw him off at the airport.

Insight: The man who would beat Hugo Chávez, Reuters

In an uphill battle to end President Hugo Chávez’s 13-year grip on the South American nation at an election in October, Capriles has an ace card – youth – and he knows how to play it. The sinuous, 39-year-old governor of Miranda state has embarked on a three-month, “house-by-house” tour of the country designed as much to show off his energy as his ideas. Still trailing Chávez in all polls, he certainly needs it.

Venezuelan Leader Tied With Rival in One Poll, but Other Results Differ, Wall Street Journal

CARACAS—A recent slate of public-opinion surveys show widely varying assessments of the presidential election for Venezuela’s polarized electorate. Most of the polls have President Hugo Chávez in the lead, but one set of results shows him with a 30-percentage point advantage over opposition candidate Henrique Capriles, while another had the rivals running neck-in-neck ahead of the Oct. 7 vote.

Venezuela Carrier Conviasa Banned by EU in New Blacklist Update, Bloomberg

The European Union banned Venezuelan airline Conviasa from flying in the 27-nation bloc under the latest changes to a list of unsafe carriers. The EU said “numerous safety concerns” resulting from accidents and European ramp checks justified the prohibition on Venezuela’s state airline.

Venezuelan refineries only receive 19% of maintenance, El Universal

The poor condition of oil facilities is among the criticisms made of the current management of state-run oil company Petróleos de Venezuela (Pdvsa). Frequent events in oil refineries have been attributed to their employees’ incompetence or lack of maintenance. Maintenance works were affected in 2011 by the shortage of inputs and materials.

WikiLeaks: Cuban spies support Chávez’s regime, El Universal

Cuban spies with direct access to President Hugo Chávez play a key role in supporting his regime. These spies constantly inform the president on the opposition’s moves, any rumors in the barracks and any sign of potential treason within revolutionary lines, say reports from WikiLeaks quoted by the New Herald. These reports include information from the United States Department of State and analysis from the private intelligence firm Stratfor.

Chavez returns to Venezuela after radiation treatment, CNN

President Hugo Chavez returned to Venezuela early Thursday morning after a second round of radiation treatment in Cuba. Appearing healthy and walking unaided, Chavez held court on the tarmac of the airport in Barinas, telling well-wishers who had gathered to welcome him that his treatment went well. “So far there has been no adverse reaction to the treatment; the body has assimilated it well,” Chavez said. He was greeted by members of his family, government officials and supporters.

Ramp? Mall? Ship? No, a Titan’s New Tomb, The New York Times

The 17-story-tall white-tiled mausoleum being built to hold the remains of the national hero Simón Bolívar looks to many people here like the world’s biggest skateboard ramp. To others, it evokes a parking garage, a shopping mall, a bridal veil, a sailing ship or a drive-in movie screen. Some simply call it an outrage. But to its creators, it is an eloquent tribute to the father of the nation, the quasi-mythical inspiration for President Hugo Chávez’s socialist revolution.