Tag Archives: socialist

Sep
11
2012
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Chavez rival questions if gov’t really socialist

CBS News
September 11, 2012
Luis Andres Henao

hugo chavez 1 Chavez rival questions if govt really socialist

Courtesy of: AFP / Juan Barreto

The Venezuelan opposition’s candidate in next month’s presidential election ridiculed President Hugo Chavez on Monday for claiming to pursue socialist policies, and pledged to use the country’s oil wealth more effectively if elected.

Henrique Capriles told supporters that nearly 14 years under the fiercely anti-capitalist Chavez have resulted in Venezuela having violence-plagued prisons, crumbling hospitals and one of the world’s highest murder rates.

“If they’re socialists, I’m Marxist-Leninist, because I invite them to compare who is doing more on the social front and who is using resources to solve the problems of our people, not to save other countries,” Capriles said during a speech in which he laid out his plans if he wins the Oct. 7 vote.

“This government imports gasoline from the United States and says it fights against imperialism. It imports rice from the U.S. and it says that it has gained its independence,” he told a cheering crowd.

Capriles pledged to improve police forces to combat crime, which according to polls is a top concern for Venezuelans. He also said he would provide people with more job opportunities as well as better electricity and water services after years of decaying infrastructure.

The opposition candidate accused Chavez of wasting Venezuela’s oil riches through fuel supply deals with allied nations such as Cuba and Nicaragua that involve long-term, low-interest financing. “We aren’t going to give away a single drop more of our oil,” he said.

Chavez disputes that characterization of his foreign oil deals and says Venezuela has reached mutually beneficial oil deals with its allies during his presidency.

Speaking on state television Monday, the 58-year-old president called the 40-year-old Capriles “a rich kid disguising himself as poor, as a boy from the barrio.”

The leftist Chavez has regularly accused his rival of representing the interests of the wealthy, but Capriles describes his views as center-left and says he would maintain social programs for the poor while also working with the private sector to create jobs.

Capriles has strongly criticized government seizures of private businesses during Chavez’s presidency.

The president has maintained a lead in most recent polls, but one survey last month put the two candidates roughly even in a race that is expected to be the toughest challenge of Chavez’s career. After battling cancer in the past year, Chavez says he is free of the illness as he seeks another six-year term.

Trying to shore up support among poor Venezuelans, Chavez has also increased spending on public housing and other social programs.

Chavez has accused Capriles of having a hidden agenda to impose right-wing policies, and reiterated claims on Sunday that such policies could lead to “a civil war.” He said that even the wealthy, who are regular targets of his criticism, ought to have an interest in supporting him.

“To the families that have their riches, that own their nice homes, their good cars, with their great apartments on the beach, who like to travel abroad on holidays: Is a civil war convenient for them? Not at all. It’s only convenient for the extreme fascist right,” the president told supporters. “Even the rich guys, the wealthy families who want tranquility … Chavez guarantees you peace, stability.”

Capriles has sought to counter such claims by saying that his proposals would bring stability and that he has no plans to take away the government’s social programs for the poor.

Among his pledges on Monday, Capriles said he would strive to bring down Venezuela’s inflation rate, which at 18.1 percent is the highest in Latin America.

He also said he would raise the minimum wage to the equivalent of $581 a month from the current $476.

As for the country’s key oil industry, Capriles pledged to take steps to ensure better maintenance and safety measures. He referred to the powerful Aug. 25 explosion at Venezuela’s Amuay oil refinery, which killed at least 42 people.

“Venezuelans still don’t know the causes of this accident,” Capriles said. “The question all of us are asking is: Under this government, will we ever know what happened there?”

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Luis Andres Henao on Twitter: https://twitter.com/LuisAndresHenao

To read this story on CBS News, please click here.

 
Aug
24
2012
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Chavez Trails Rival Capriles for First Time in Poll

Bloomberg Businessweek
August 24, 2012
Charlie Devereux

data Chavez Trails Rival Capriles for First Time in Poll

Courtesy of: Eduardo Mayorca / AFP / GettyImages

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez trailed opponent Henrique Capriles Radonski for the first time in a Consultores 21 poll ahead of elections in October.

Capriles had 47.7 percent of support against 45.9 percent for Chavez in a poll taken last week, Consultores 21 Vice President Saul Cabrera said today in a phone interview. The survey of 1,000 people had a margin or error of 3.2 percentage points, he said.

Chavez, who is seeking to extend his 13 years in power with another six-year term, has a lead in most other polls. The self- declared socialist’s advantage narrowed to 12.5 points in a Datanalisis poll in August from 15.3 percentage points in June.

“Chavez has hit his ceiling because after 14 years when he’s become well-known it wouldn’t appear he can grow much more than that,” Cabrera said. “On the other hand I can’t see Capriles growing much more because all the indicators are that this is going to be a close race.”

Capriles, a 40-year-old former governor of Miranda state, has visited more than 150 towns across the country, emulating a strategy employed by Chavez when he first gained power in a December 1998 election.

Energetic Walks

Capriles has sought to mark a contrast with Chavez, who is recovering from an undisclosed form of cancer, by his energetic walks through rural villages of Venezuela. He’s also attempted to win over state employees and the military by releasing video messages in which he said they shouldn’t be persecuted for their political beliefs and should be paid more.

Chavez has preferred to stage large rallies and caravans through selected towns of the country to rally support.

Chavez said yesterday during a campaign rally in the eastern city of Cumana that he expects to beat Capriles with 70 percent of the vote in a “knockout.” Chavez said that Capriles, whom he calls the “loser” and “little bourgeoisie,” is traveling the country for the first time visiting towns as a tourist in contrast to the “million” Venezuelan towns that the self-declared revolutionary has visited during his life.

Chavez, 58, increased government spending 34 percent in the first half of 2012 from a year ago and is promoting social programs for the elderly and children in extreme poverty. The surge in spending and a 17.6 percent expansion in the construction industry in the second quarter helped the economy grow 5.4 percent from a year earlier.

Chavez said July 9 that opinion polls showing a technical tie with Capriles are “a joke,” without specifically referring to Consultores 21.

A poll taken between June 15 and June 26 showed the president with 45.9 percent support against 45.8 percent for Capriles. The Caracas-based pollster correctly predicted that Chavez’s opponents would win a slender majority in the popular vote in legislative elections in September 2010.

To read this article on Bloomberg Businessweek, please click here.

 
Jul
10
2012
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Who’s Next Venezuela: Another Potential Successor

Diosdado Cabello, President of the National Assembly

Diosdado Cabello Whos Next Venezuela: Another Potential Successor

Courtesy of: AVN

Long an ally of the Venezuelan President, National Assembly President Diosdado Cabello has also found his name put forward as one of the possible successors to Hugo Chávez.

Cabello’s relationship with Chávez goes back as far as the attempted 1992 coup, which landed them both in jail. Since then he has continued to rise through the ranks of Chávez’s party, serving as vice president, and even acting president during the 2002 coup when Chávez was ousted for two days. He loyally held the office only until Chávez was able to return.

The 49-year-old has served in a variety of cabinet positions under Chávez before being elected to his current post as President of the National Assembly. He is seen as a powerful leader within the PSUV and a trusted ally of Chávez.

Cabello has frequently appeared at Chávez’s side during public events. He is also known for his fiery tongue, and is often a leading PSUV member to publically contradict speculation about Chávez’s health. He is also a political attack dog, frequently launching scathing criticisms of the opposition. He has been on the defensive lately, however, forced to defend Chávez’s heavy use of the government media he insisted, curiously, that “Chávez is already in the streets” after questions emerged regarding when the president’s next campaign event would take place.

Analysts point out his background as a former soldier, like Chávez, could help him maintain ties with the military during the transition. Thus, even if he is not chosen as the next president, his support might be necessary to ensure a smooth and peaceful transition.

A short but fiery controversy sprung up in May when posters supporting Cabello for president appeared in Caracas. Although PSUV officials dismissed these posters as the work of provocateurs, their mere appearance, in addition to the fact that Cabello felt them worthy of a denial, shows that tensions do exist within the party.

Like the other successors, Cabello has neither the charisma nor the popular appeal of Chávez. In fact, polls show that he is the least popular among the leaders of Chávez’s party. In fact, he has actually already lost to opposition candidate Henrique Capriles once, in the 2008 campaign for governor of Miranda state.

He also has ties to the business community, which may hurt his image among the Chávez’s most staunchly socialist supporters. And recently, Cabello was also alleged to have ties to drug traffickers by former judge Eladio Aponte Aponte, further damaging his chances.

Given Cabello’s unpopularity among Venezuelans and ties to drug trafficking, his is perceived by some to be towards the bottom of the short list to be Chávez’s successor. However, his ties to the military and proven loyalty to the party practically guarantee that he will play an important role in any succession.