Opposition Mayor of Chacao,, Leopoldo Lopez says he will continue his campaign to run as a pre-candidate to the Metropolitan Mayor's Office in Caracas. As regards the legal ban on his taking part in elections because of pending criminal charges, Lopez argues that the Comptrollership General has taken an administrative decision and neither of the two charges against him is for patrimonial problems. Comptroller General, Clodosbaldo Russian has confirmed that the ban is based, one, on donations that Petroleos de Venezuela allegedly gave a civil association of which the Mayor was a member and second, because of situations arising while he was Mayor of Chacao in 2002. The defiant Lopez says he will continue to demand his rights and will not abide by any decision taken by the Comptroller General. According to the president of the exchange rate administration committee (Cadivi), Manuel Barroso, 53% of petitions for preferential dollars are under the $50,000 mark, which means that beneficiaries will be able to enjoy the recent economic measures announced by President Chavez last week. Companies already registered with Cadivi will immediately benefit from the measure aimed at speeding up the process for people and companies requesting less than $50,000. The measure has been taken to boost national production and will come into force once it is published in the Gaceta Oficial within the next few days.
The United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) has announced a new process of enrolment from June 26 through July 3. This enrolment exercise will not count on support from the National Elections Council (CNE) and will be run by the party itself. According to party vice president, General (ret.) Alberto Muller Rojas, the party's socialist battalions will set up what he calls "red spots" where people can enroll.
At a meeting yesterday, Muller Rojas reports that the leadership discussed three topics: the Patriotic Alliance (AP) in each state, campaign commands, and the methodology of choosing members of the state legislature. The AP is backing 13 official PSUV candidates to state governorships and on July 3 there will be an official act announcing a unity pact by all parties supporting the government.
Muller Rojas has also pointed out that parties belonging to the Patriotic Alliance have the right to launch their own candidates in state governorships and municipalities where the PSUV candidate did not win directly. The only reason for any future modification of official candidates, the General firmly maintains, will be for indiscipline, convergence between allied political parties or legal impediments.
During his visit to Cuba to speak with Fidel Castro and President Raul Castro, President Chavez says the alliance between Venezuela and Cuba will continue and there will always be new steps politically, socially and economically and in energy matters. Chavez comments that he will also discuss preparing the commemoration of 50 years of the Cuban revolution and 10 of the Bolivarian revolution. The Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas (ALBA) Bank will also come under review and President Chavez calls it an extraordinary positive initiative using part of international reserves to set up credits to develop agriculture in the region.
Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro reveals that the proposed meeting between President Chavez and Colombian President Alvaro Uribe will probably take place in Venezuela. The idea of the meeting. he says, is to re-establish levels of political confidence and communication. Maduro has also confirmed that the agenda for the encounter is under discussion but the main topic will be the situation of bilateral relations and improvement. The Presidents, Maduro states, have expressed the will to meet, talk and dialogue, despite difficulties and different criteria on regional matters.
The visit of the Spanish Foreign Minister, Miguel Angel Moratinos to Venezuela is the result of a request by the Spanish government aimed at seeking a normalization of bilateral relations, according to Venezuelan Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro, who places the dialogue within the framework of "re-establishing vital themes in the relation Europe-Latin America and Spain-Venezuela." Like relations with Colombia but on a lesser scale, relations between Venezuela and Spain have been tense rather than cordial, especially since the famous incident between President Chavez and King Juan Carlos at the Iberian-American Summit in November 2007. The controversy over the presence of the Basque separatists in Venezuela is expected to be part of the agenda. Basque separatists belonging to ETA were granted political asylum dos decades ago but the Spanish government insists of having them extradited.
Patrick J. O'Donoghue
patrick.vheadline@mail.com
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