Chavez supporters, opponents plan more rallies as standoff continues

www.canada.com Canadian Press Saturday, January 11, 2003

CARACAS (AP) - Allies of President Hugo Chavez called on supporters to rally in one of the capital city's poorest districts Saturday to celebrate government efforts to jump-start the state-run oil company hobbled by a 41-day general strike.

Venezuelans living abroad planned anti-Chavez demonstrations in several major cities one day after Chavez threatened to seize control of food-production facilities to deal with domestic food shortages.

Meanwhile, many Venezuelans are waiting to see if disorganization and a lack of funding in Venezuela's elections council will dash opposition plans for a referendum next month and hopes to weaken Chavez's presidency.

Chavez says the vote is illegal and the Congress has yet to authorize the funds required for balloting.

Alfredo Avella, president of the National Elections Council, said Friday the vote may be postponed to "a later date that permits the viability of the process."

Venezuela's opposition launched a strike Dec. 2 to pressure Chavez to resign and call elections if he loses the nonbinding referendum on his rule.

Chavez, a former paratrooper elected in 1998 and re-elected two years later, insists the constitution only permits recall referendum on his presidency halfway into his six-year term: this August.

The strike has paralysed the world's fifth largest oil exporter and caused fuel shortages while opponents stage daily street marches and urge tax evasion to force Chavez from office.

Chavez has refused to give in to opposition demands. On Friday, he told troops to be ready "to militarily seize the food production plants." He asked state governors belonging to his political coalition to be ready to co-operate.

"This is an economic coup. They are trying to deny the people food, medicine and even water," Chavez told thousands of supporters in western Cojedes state. "They won't succeed."

The Venezuelan-American Chamber of Commerce told its members that seizures of food plants would be illegal.

The president also said he fired 1,000 workers from the state oil monopoly Petroleos de Venezuela S.A., or PDVSA. An estimated 30,000 of the company's 40,000 employees have joined the strike.