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-- Venezuela headed for dictatorship
Venezuela headed for dictatorship
I'll admit, I didn't think he'd take it this far, but he is.
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| Venezuelans protest Chavez's new socialist push By IAN JAMES, Associated Press Writer Wed Aug 6, 7:34 PM ET CARACAS, Venezuela - Riot police used tear gas Wednesday to block hundreds of Venezuelans protesting the latest moves by President Hugo Chavez to concentrate his power. The demonstrators said a blacklist of opposition candidates and a series of socialist decrees are destroying what's left of their democracy. Though the protest of about 1,000 people chanting "freedom!" was small compared to past marches, there is a growing public outcry over the sidelining of key government opponents ahead of state and local elections in November. Chavez opponents also are outraged by 26 laws the president just decreed, some of them mirroring the socialist measures voters rejected in a December referendum. "We said in the referendum that we didn't want that, and now he's put it in the decrees," said protester Josefina Bravo, a 59-year-old who wore a sticker reading "No means no" on her baseball cap. "That's the problem we have: All the powers are concentrated in the president." Chavez issued the decrees just before the expiration of special legislative powers that allowed him to make laws without National Assembly approval for the past 18 months. For a time after the defeat of his constitutional referendum in December that would have imposed radical economic changes and let him run for re-election indefinitely, Chavez seemed to be taking a more pragmatic, less confrontational approach to his socialist project. Now the leftist leader is pushing hard again to remake Venezuelan society. One decree establishes a civilian militia that critics warn could emulate the citizen groups that control many aspects of community life in Cuba. Another gives Chavez the ability to designate regional authorities who critics say could undermine the power of locally elected officials. Other decrees empower Chavez to expropriate goods from private businesses and increase state control over food, punishing business owners who fail to comply with price controls with fines, closure and even 10-year prison terms. The decrees came down just as the Supreme Court, whose justices were appointed by the Chavista-dominated National Assembly, on Tuesday upheld a decision by Venezuela's top anti-corruption official to bar 272 mostly opposition-aligned candidates from running. The blacklist was drawn up by another Chavez ally, Comptroller General Clodosbaldo Russian. None of the candidates on the list have been convicted of corruption or other crimes. Opponents note that some pro-Chavez politicians who have been publicly accused of corruption aren't on the list. Russian said his office has not singled out either political camp. And Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro said Wednesday that the disqualifications affect mostly pro-Chavez candidates, while sidelining only a small percentage of all the opposition candidates in the country. He said Venezuelans should be proud that the Supreme Court has "stuck to the constitution." Chavez said anybody who objects to his decrees is free to challenge them to the Supreme Court. But opponents figure there is little chance the justices will rule against this president. A day after upholding the blacklist, the same court on Wednesday dismissed a challenge by popular Caracas mayoral candidate Leopoldo Lopez and five other blacklisted politicians. Referring to the group as "little boys," Maduro accused Lopez of considering himself above the law because he's from the capital's "bourgeoisie," and challenged him to prove his innocence. But these opponents say the Chavistas have achieved what amounts to a presidential coup, sidelining any opponents with a good chance of winning mayoral and gubernatorial posts. Lopez accused Chavez and the Supreme Court of "giving a kick to the constitution" as he spoke to demonstrators. "You're afraid of the people and you, president, hid behind the Supreme Court," he said. Lopez led protesters down a Caracas avenue before police in riot gear blocked them in front of a government building, tossing tear gas canisters into the crowd. Protest leaders vowed more marches, including a larger one Saturday. |
Well, to me it seems he has lost a lot of grip of the country after he lost the constitutional referendum last year. Also he flip-flopped on several major issues (damn sellout), for example he entirely changed his position on the Farc.
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| Originally posted by St_Andrew Well, to me it seems he has lost a lot of grip of the country after he lost the constitutional referendum last year. Also he flip-flopped on several major issues (damn sellout), for example he entirely changed his position on the Farc. |
George? George? Wherefore art thou?
Re: Venezuela headed for dictatorship
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| Originally posted by Krypton I'll admit, I didn't think he'd take it this far, but he is. |
Isn't not like we didn't see this coming - we've been saying it for months...
/some of us knew it to be true anyways...
I would have no problem with Chavez if he respected the Venezuelan constitution, didn't pack the supreme court with chavistas, and block opposition politicians from participating in elections. I think the 2002 coup has got him paranoid.
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| Originally posted by Krypton I would have no problem with Chavez if he respected the Venezuelan constitution, didn't pack the supreme court with chavistas, and block opposition politicians from participating in elections. I think the 2002 coup has got him paranoid. |
The champagne socilaists out there love to rant on about how facists enforce their draconian laws and opinions on populations. They should actually take a look at Venezuela, because it's place the left can take a look at their ideology and basicially go and fuck themselves. Draconian dictatorship look no further then Venezuela!
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| Originally posted by Dj O'Callaghan The champagne socilaists out there love to rant on about how facists enforce their draconian laws and opinions on populations. They should actually take a look at Venezuela, because it's place the left can take a look at their ideology and basicially go and fuck themselves. Draconian dictatorship look no further then Venezuela! |
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| Originally posted by Krypton Both right and left have their fundamentalist factions, so I wouldn't detract from extremist right wingers from extremist leftists. Currently, the most powerful country in the world is under the leadership of fundamentalist Christian neo-conservatives and that is more dangerous than anything Venezuela thinks or can do. |
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| Originally posted by Dj O'Callaghan Is that the country you live in by any chance? I agree Christian Neo Conservatives *Cough* Republicans are a danger to the whole planet and a disgrace to use of the word Republican how about I'd say Mid Western gun totting god fearing obese uncivilised sister ******s is a more appropriate term to use (No offense to those in the Mid West who are sane btw) |
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| Originally posted by Shakka George? George? Wherefore art thou? |
Hugo is an idiot. If it wasnt for his Petrodollars he would have been out the door a long time ago. He uses the petrodollars to buy the concious of many people in Vene. and Latin America. That is the main reason because this man is still in power.
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| Originally posted by LatinLover Hugo is an idiot. If it wasnt for his Petrodollars he would have been out the door a long time ago. He uses the petrodollars to buy the concious of many people in Vene. and Latin America. That is the main reason because this man is still in power. |
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