Chacao (Caracas) Mayor, Leopoldo Lopez is travelling abroad, he says, because he wants the world to know that democratic rights are being violated in Venezuela. Lopez, who wants to run for the Metro Mayorship in Caracas, has been legally banned from running in elections because of pending criminal charges. Lopez states that he is aware that any decision to have the ban dropped must be within Venezuela's legal structure, but he contends that it's important the world knows what is happening in Venezuela. Lopez has already visited mayors of the following cities: Bogota, Santiago, Lima, Chicago, Los Angeles, Puerto Principe and Santo Domingo to get his name known. It is not clear who is footing the bill for the trips, which will include Washington and Madrid. Agriculture & Lands (MAT) Minister Elias Jaua says the debt support plan aimed at refinancing credits with private and public banks will benefit 20,000 producers, the majority of whom are ranchers. The Minister made the statement after meeting ranchers and banking representatives to whom he explained the refinancing law draft. Other meetings will follow, the Minister announces, to pick up observations and contributions from financial and agrarian sectors on the draft law.
Sumate electoral organisation is easing its way back into business offering the opposition to run primaries for its candidates. The opposition body, Sumate fell into disgrace after attempts to dictate opposition electoral campaigns in 2005-2006. Now its leaders are launching another attempt to get back into the limelight, proposing to organize primaries but it admits that the biggest obstacle is perhaps indifference among opposition sectors. A pilot scheme will be planned in Valencia where there has been the greatest abstention in the last three electoral events.
National Assembly (AN) president, Cilia Flores says the house interior policy committee has returned two reports sent it by the Citizen power requesting the destitution of Supreme Tribunal of Justice (TSJ) magistrates, Blanca Rosa Marmol de Leon and Carlos Oberto Velez. Flores argues that there are no legal conditions allowing a plenary session in the House to remove either magistrate. The request was approved by two components of the Citizen Power, namely the Comptroller General's Office and the Ombudsman. The Attorney General, Luisa Ortega Diaz has disqualified herself from dealing with both cases.
The Attorney General's Office has issued formal charges against four police officers belonging to Lara State intelligence and coordination division for alleged homicide of two brothers on April 29. According to the first police report, Hengel Alexander and Fabricio Douglas Perez Heredia were shot dead on April 29th just outside Barquisimeto in an alleged shootout with the police. However, the bodies of both men were found with signs of torture. The dead are sons of well known community activists. Agents Dixon Canelon and Graciano Granda are accused of carrying out the killings, while Luis Camacaro and Erick Torcate stand accused of immediate complicity.
The European Union (EU) has officially lifted sanctions against Cuba after overcoming reservations from the Swedish delegation regarding the final edition of the document. Agriculture ministers meeting in Luxembourg were entrusted with the official ratification of the text. There was some haggling over the text regarding freeing prisoners of the government. The clause, however, remains after including a call to the Cuban government to allow international humanitarian organizations visit prisoners in Cuba.
Education Minister, Hector Navarro has rejected an increase of 15% for school enrolment 2008-2009. Education is not a merchandise, Navarro rules, and the permanence of one's children in the school should not be subject to whether one can pay or not. It would appear the suggested 15% is a result of a study by Navarro's Ministry for the private sector. The Minister states that while one can live off education, one should not be allowed to become a millionaire and he insists that there are some schools where a 9% rise would be sufficient since inflation is not the same in all sectors and depends on different variables. The Ministry has set up mixed committees with the National Institute of Consumer Defense to receive complaints.
Minister Navarro briefly mentioned the problem with the Catholic school system, Fe y Alegria, maintaining that the system is not part of the ministry, but rather private. However, he reveals that the Ministry is working on 202 cases of retirements and will give an answer, maintaining that Fe y Alegria is a special case.
Interior & Justice (MIJ) Ministry custody & rehabilitation director, Ismel Serrano says the situation at the prison in Merida where inmates are holding 210 people as hostages is "atypical." Normally, Serrano points out, inmates complain for specific reasons and in this case "we do not know yet what they are asking." The director rejects having taken measures regarding bad treatment and transfers.
Patrick J. O'Donoghue
patrick.vheadline@gmail.com
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