Testing times ahead for Chavez
- added June 30, 2008
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- CicatrizJCP
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This is a crucial time for Venezuela. President Chavez is pushing forward his socialist revolution and his opponents are continuing to fight against it.
Looming regional and local elections have increased the tension in this politically divided nation.
Saturday morning and thousands of the president's opponents have gathered in Caracas to show their anger at a ruling they say is aimed at undermining them.
Nearly 400 people have been barred from running in November's elections.
The government says they are all being investigated for corruption and are therefore ineligible - but 80% of the names on the list are from the opposition.
"The constitution is clear," says Leopoldo Lopez, one of the best-known politicians on the list.
"None of us are legally disqualified. We will fight on the streets to make sure Venezuelans have the right to choose who they want."
He says the government has barred them "because they know we can win".
In general, though, the opposition are optimistic and increasingly buoyant.
They hope to capitalise on a win last December, when voters by a slim majority said no to constitutional changes that would have enshrined socialism into Venezuela's law and allowed a president to stand for re-election an unlimited number of times.
Despite this setback, Mr Chavez was soon back to his old form, and his ministers are now talking about trying again to change the law so that he could bid to stay in office after 2013.
End Excerpt
Looming regional and local elections have increased the tension in this politically divided nation.
Saturday morning and thousands of the president's opponents have gathered in Caracas to show their anger at a ruling they say is aimed at undermining them.
Nearly 400 people have been barred from running in November's elections.
The government says they are all being investigated for corruption and are therefore ineligible - but 80% of the names on the list are from the opposition.
"The constitution is clear," says Leopoldo Lopez, one of the best-known politicians on the list.
"None of us are legally disqualified. We will fight on the streets to make sure Venezuelans have the right to choose who they want."
He says the government has barred them "because they know we can win".
In general, though, the opposition are optimistic and increasingly buoyant.
They hope to capitalise on a win last December, when voters by a slim majority said no to constitutional changes that would have enshrined socialism into Venezuela's law and allowed a president to stand for re-election an unlimited number of times.
Despite this setback, Mr Chavez was soon back to his old form, and his ministers are now talking about trying again to change the law so that he could bid to stay in office after 2013.
End Excerpt
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- CicatrizJCP
- 3 months ago
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