Garcia Ponce: National Front must provide leadership if elections are to be won

<a href=www.vheadline.com>Venezuela's Electronic News Posted: Sunday, May 11, 2003 By: Patrick J. O'Donoghue

Political Command of the Revolution (CPR) Supremo, Guillermo Garcia Ponce says that President Hugo Chavez Frias has been promoting different initiatives in favor of the unity of revolutionary forces since 1998. 

Citing the Patriotic Pole, Bolivarian Circles and Political Command of the Revolution as examples, the veteran politician says there have been successive stages in the development of a policy of consolidation and advance of the popular movement. 

"The People (El Pueblo) builds its unity without too many difficulties ... its interests are common and its identification with the Constitution and leadership of President Hugo Chavez Frias is transparent but the same isn't true among some political instances where it's not easy to overcome old models of fragmentation and where one can still find traces of the old party culture and tendencies of personalism and sectarianism." 

Garcia Ponce insists on establishing a single central collective leadership capable of giving greater cohesion and force to the popular and revolutionary movement ... he warns that if the matter isn't resolved, the government will lose elections. 

Summing up, Garcia Ponce says experience has shown him several truths:

• The permanent presence of President Chavez Frias in unitary political leadership is indispensable
• The National Front must have power of decision to be able to effectively to pursue its role of unitary leadership ... no more advisory or coordinating functions.

"The President's initiative to unite Bolivarian social and political forces into a National Front opens the way to a new stage in the consolidation process, provided that we learn from past experiences through criticism and self-criticism."