[News] Venezuela's Chavez Triumphant

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Chavez wins
Venezuela's Chavez Triumphant: History Making Democracy in Latin America
By: Sharmini Peries
Venezuela Analysis


<http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/articles.php?artno=1250>http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/articles.php?artno=1250

President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela, first elected in 1998 made democratic 
history today in a triumphant defeat of the recall referendum on his 
Presidency.

The very Constitution that he championed in 1999, that re-elected him in 
2000, allows for a mid-term recall referendum for the President’s term in 
office. After six years in office, in this recall referendum held on 
Sunday, August 15th, Chavez lead with a 58% majority. Voters clearly 
exercised their constitutional right to confirm the President in a historic 
referenda process, never practiced in the history of this hemisphere.


Under the watchful eyes of over six hundred international observers and 
media scattered throughout the country, a majority of Venezuelan’s 
prevented their president from being ousted by a coalition opposition led 
by Accion Democratica (AD) and the Christian Democrats (COPEI), both 
parties representing the moderate and ultra right. Renowned international 
election observer delegations from the Carter Center, Organization of 
American States (OAS), and European Parliamentarians hailed the referendum 
process as free and fair.

With this referendum President Chavez’s government has been reaffirmed in a 
total of eight elections, referendums and plebiscites in six years. Apart 
from the democratic processes at work, Chavez and his government have 
withstood the coup d’etat of April 2002, a general lockout orchestrated by 
the oil-igarchy management and union leadership (CTV) that stalled the 
country’s oil economy. They have resisted the aggressive private media 
(press and television alike) that has been carrying out a flagrantly racist 
character assassination of the Mestizo (Indigenous, Black and White) 
politically left President.

Chavez escaped an opposition hired Colombian paramilitary’s attempt to 
assassinate him in May 2004. He has remained popular while a segment of the 
Catholic church leadership who enjoyed the benefits of aligning themselves 
with the wealthy tried to diminish his commitment to the Church and the 
poor. He has jarred the political opposition that is backed by the private 
media and corporations, not to mention the international private media that 
continues to frame Chavez as a militant red beret military commander and 
Chief, in spite of his repeated landslide democratic electoral victories. 
It has kept the tide out from the oil guzzling empire just north of 
Caribbean sea, who earned tax free investment and free market opportunities 
here for 80 years and backed the failed coup d’etat against Chavez in April 
2002.

Regardless of this pressure, Chavez remains the only elected leader of a 
nation that has relentless guts to give continuing volume to his peoples 
opposition to U.S-led neo-liberalism in the region and economic, political 
and military aggression the world over. If the social movements who 
captured the world’s imagination with the slogan "another world is 
possible" could choose a political leader it should be President Hugo 
Chavez. Such resistance runs in the veins of Hugo Chavez’s Bolivarian 
Revolution provoking left and middle ground political leaders.

In Latin America Chavez received the un-stinted support of progressive 
political parties such as Lula’s Workers Party (PT) in Brazil that sent a 
delegation of support this week. The Argentinean government sent two former 
Presidents: Eduardo Duhalde and Fernando de La Rua of the Peronist party. 
He receives standing ovations from Latin American Indigenous Rights 
Movements, Landless Movement of Peasant (MST), and Via Campesinas (Peasants 
Movement-- 60 million strong world wide).

Chavez enjoys credibility among leftist academics, writers, and artists, 
who signed a manifesto of support. It included such leading thinkers as 
Eduardo Galeano (Uruguay), Ahíjaz Ahmad (India), Tariq Ali 
(Pakistan-England), Manu Chao (Spain-France), Eric Hobsbawm (England), 
Naomi Klein (Canada), and Ken Livingstone, the Mayor of London (England). 
The letter stated: " we wish to denounce the disinformation campaign that 
is being orchestrated by the major media and that attempts to characterize 
Chavez as a tyrant, a President who has consistently respected the rule of 
law and the country’s Constitution".

Endorsement of the President is now trickling in from the United States. 
Jesse Jackson dissenting from his own Democratic Party position articulated 
by the US presidential candidate John Kerry has signed a Chavez campaign 
letter. A few dozen US citizens including US congressman and Hollywood star 
Danny Glover are here in Caracas adding their voice to the never ending 
chants of "Uh ah Chavez no se va" (Uh ah Chavez will not go) that is 
echoing in the streets.

With yet another massive win under his belt, the real question is will the 
United States stay out of the internal politics of this country and let 
President Chavez carry out the democratic mandate of his people, or will 
they be continuing their overt and covert operations in Venezuela, as they 
did thirty years ago in Allende’s Chile?


Forwarded by:
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Ravi Khanna, Director
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