Venezuela Opposition Condemns Decrees, Court Decision

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's opponents rallied in Caracas to protest a package of decrees that tighten his grip on power and a high court decision that cuts their chances of winning regional elections in November. Leopoldo Lopez, favored in some polls to win the November race for Caracas mayor, appeared at a demonstration with Ismael Garcia, an ex-ally of Chavez who broke ranks over his drive for greater control. They condemned the court's ruling that bars 272 people, including Lopez, from running for office. ``The president is who really made the decision,'' Lopez, 37, said at the rally today broadcast on opposition television station Globovision. ``It was a cowardly decision made out of fear, and you, president, hid behind your institutions.'' The opposition, which hopes to unseat several pro-Chavez governors and mayors in the coming elections, is still assessing the double blow dealt by the court and the decree laws, released on government Web sites yesterday. The laws, issued on the last day of special powers Chavez got from the congress, bolster his power by stripping the legislature's oversight of government borrowing, giving him control of appointing regional officials, and allowing a wide range of intervention in the economy.