Following on President Chavez' condemnation of Patriotic Alliance (AP) allies, the Communist Party of Venezuela (PCV) and Patria Para Todos, on two occasions over the weekend, the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) is meeting to discuss relations with the minority parties. President Chavez urged followers to " erase both parties from the political map" of Venezuela. Sources indicate that the PSUV leadership will discuss whether they will maintain common electoral cards with PPT and PCV in the 12 regions where PSUV candidates have full support from both parties. The Patriotic Alliance is practically non-existent with the PSUV breaking with the Gente Emergente electoral group last week for the latter's support of Julio Caesar Reyes in Barinas State instead of PSUV candidate, Adan Chavez. On that occasion the party withdrew the group's common electoral card. However, it is unlikely that they will do the same with PPT and PSUV, given the closeness of the elections and the confusion already created. Both minority parties have stated that they will continue to exist as revolutionary organizations, despite President Chavez. PCV leader, Oscar Figuera recalls that when many of the current "super-revolutionary" PSUV leaders were activists of AD and COPEI and when the word Socialism was forbidden and persecuted by dictatorships, the PCV already existed.
PSUV spokesperson, Jorge Rodriguez has called on all forces allied to the revolutionary process to maintain unity and not to play into the enemy's hand. Rodriguez states that the PSUV insists on the unity of revolutionaries around the " strategic electoral event on November 23." The enemy's tactics, Rodriguez contends, is to sow discord and division among revolutionary forces. However, he did recognize that the PSUV has attacked the attitude of leaders of allied parties and calls on them not to confuse things even more by making statements to the press. Addressing President Chavez' scathing attacks on the two parties, Rodriguez says that Chavez has been " excessively patient" and maintained a position of humility regarding some attitudes that he has come across when he has made calls to unity.
President Chavez says he is ready to sue Zulia State Governor, Manuel Rosales for statements made about the President's alleged accumulation of wealth and overseas bank accounts. According to Chavez, he has been consulting with his lawyers on how to procedd with charges. Chavez states that if Rosales can prove that he Chavez has acquired wealth illegally, then he will step down as President and if not, Rosales will end up in prison for defamation of the head of state. Speaking on Radio Nacional de Venezuela (RNV), the President accused Rosales of financial irregularities in office.
Former State Governor of Caracas and former Ambassador before the United Nations, Diego Arria has stated that is important for the opposition to win victories in regional elections on November 23 and to organize the defeat of President Chavez in presidential elections in four years time. Speaking about government accusations that he is conspiring and has been mentioned as a possible interim president in the case of a future coup d'etat, Arria says that the only reason for the allegations is an article that he wrote pointing out connections between Chavez and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). "I have been writing about what I see for nine and a half years, condemning nationally and internationally actions that could damage the future of the country." The former diplomat also accuses President Chavez of vulgarity and cowardice.
The Venezuelan Federation of Teachers (FVM) has called for a national march at the end of October to protest delays in the collective bargaining contract and current insecurity in schools. FVM president, Orlando Alzuru says the association does not agree with unilateral salary increases that are wiped out by inflation and maintains that the Labor and Education ministries have placed obstacles in getting the collective bargaining talks underway. Alzuru did not elaborate on why the FVM chose to stage a march before elections but he did state that he will be lobbying higher education professors to join the teachers.
Editor/publisher of the opposition tabloid, El Nuevo Pais, Rafael Poleo has threatened President Chavez that he will end up like Mussolini. The veiled and surprisingly public threat was made during a program on Globovision. The editor suggests that the route currently being taken by President Chavez is similar to that of Mussolini and he should be careful not to end up like the Italian dictator "hanging and with his head facing the ground" .
Communications & Information Minister, Andreas Izarra accuses Poleo of calling for the assassination of President Chavez. What Poleo is after, the Minister muses, is to continue frightening people and inciting to non-democratic solutions. The Venezuelan people, Izarra insists, independent of their political position, cannot continue to accept this kind of comparisons with the head of state. Izarra reveals that he tried to get in touch with the program to answer Poleo but it already had gone off the air.
Planning Minister, Haiman El Troudi boasts that Venezuela has undertaken Socialist measures to avoid any negative impact on the Venezuelan economy from the economic and financial crisis. Speaking on VTV State television, El Troudi says Venezuela has already adopted many of the proposals put forward by international economic experts from southern countries during a recent conference in Caracas. Venezuela, he argues, is planning its economy with Socialist measures. One of the main steps taken by Venezuela, El Troudi maintains, was to reduce direct, financial and economic credits and debts with the USA embarking on a policy of economic independence. What would have happened to Venezuela, he asks, if Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA) had been privatized and if the government had not taken the decision to control the strategic means, such as Telecom CANTV and the Caracas Electricity.
Patrick J. O'Donoghue
patrick.vheadline@gmail.com
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Venezuela is facing the most difficult period of its history with honest reporters crippled by sectarianism on top of rampant corruption within the administration and beyond, aided and abetted by criminal forces in the US and Spanish governments which cannot accept the sovereignty of the Venezuelan people to decide over their own future.
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