Venezuela strike goes on - Enthusiasm was tinged with frustration and uncertainty about the future of the 56-day opposition strike

www.itv.com 20.29PM GMT, 26 Jan 2003

Tens of thousands of foes of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez are continuing to clamour for early elections as they fight to maintain the impetus of an eight-week strike that has crippled the economy.

On the second day of a big street protest in Caracas, opponents of Chavez massed along a section of a major highway, turning it into a sea of colour as they waved red, yellow and blue national flags.

Spirits were high, but the enthusiasm was tinged with frustration and uncertainty about the future of the 56-day opposition strike, which has slashed oil exports in the world's fifth biggest petroleum exporter and triggered an economic crisis.

The Supreme Court dashed opposition hopes for a vote next month on Chavez's rule by suspending a February 2 referendum.

Leaders of the strike are now pursuing other strategies to trigger early elections. They have collected signatures for a planned constitutional amendment to seek an early poll.

They are also studying ways of scaling down their gruelling strike that has hurt anti-Chavez private businessmen as much as it has harmed the oil-reliant economy.

Amid shortages of gasoline and some food items and growing reports of job lay-offs, the government has suspended foreign currency trading and sharply cut back the 2003 budget.

As his foes rallied in Caracas, Chavez, who has rejected calls for early elections, flew to Brazil to attend a meeting of the World Social Forum.

He told reporters his government was studying putting a tax on financial market transactions as part of its efforts to cope with the fiscal emergency caused by the strike.

A shift in the opposition's strike strategy could involve allowing suffering private businesses to go back to work but maintaining the crippling stoppage in the strategic state oil sector that has choked off government revenues.

Chavez, who survived a brief coup in April last year, has sacked 3,000 rebel executives and employees in the strike-hit state oil giant Petroleos de Venezuela, or PDVSA. The opposition says return of those workers' jobs and a deal on elections are conditions to lifting the strike.

Accused by foes of dragging Venezuela toward Cuban-style communism, Chavez has been condemned for failing to deliver on promises to eliminate corruption and poverty. He says his opponents are a rich elite trying to protect their privileges against his self-styled "revolution."

At least seven people have been killed and dozens wounded since the strike began Dec. 2.