www.ohio.com Posted on Sat, Jan. 25, 2003
BY PATRICK MARKEY Reuters

CARACAS, Venezuela - Hundreds of thousands of opponents of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez jammed a major Caracas highway on Saturday to demand the leftist leader call elections in the world's No. 5 oil exporter.

A festive sea of demonstrators packed stretches of the Francisco Fajardo highway for a rally that mixed politics with partying in support of a 55-day-old opposition strike aimed at forcing Chavez from power.

Blaring music mingled with political chants as some camped out in tents for the day-long protest against a Supreme Court decision to suspend a Feb. 2 referendum -- a setback for their campaign to oust Chavez.

Opposition leaders said they would instead use the referendum date for a campaign to collect petitions for a constitutional amendment that could cut short the populist president's rule.

"He has to go. After more than 50 days we can wait a few more until he is out," said Flores Diaz, 26, a lawyer cloaked in a red, yellow and blue Venezuelan flag.

The opposition strike, led by managers at state oil firm PDVSA, has slashed Venezuela's vital petroleum output, driving up world crude prices and drawing the international community into the nation's tense political deadlock.

Daily protests, severe domestic fuel shortages and fiery political rhetoric from both sides have stoked tensions. At least seven people have been killed and dozens wounded in clashes and shootings since the shutdown began on Dec. 2.

Two days before Saturday's huge rally, hundreds of thousands of Chavez supporters packed central Caracas in a show of strength for the former paratrooper, whose promises to ease poverty handed him a landslide election victory in 1998.

The pugnacious Venezuelan leader refuses to yield to foes he brands as rich elites trying to topple him by destroying the oil sector. His critics counter that Chavez has ruled like a corrupt, inept dictator and say their strike will go on until he quits or agrees to a vote.

"The fight continues and strike continues," anti-Chavez business leader Carlos Fernandez told reporters at the rally.

GLOBAL HELP AMID ECONOMIC CRUNCH

Nearly eight weeks into the grueling shutdown, Chavez and his foes appear set on standing their ground even as the strike drives Venezuela's fragile economy deeper into recession. Oil exports account for half the government's revenues.

The Finance Ministry and the Central Bank on Wednesday shut down foreign currency exchange markets to stave off capital flight and halt the deep slide in the local bolivar currency as investors seek the safety of the U.S. dollar.

Fighting back against the strikers, Chavez has ordered troops and replacement workers to take over oil installations. Crude production and exports have crept back up, but the industry is still operating far below its usual output of about 3.1 million barrels per day.

Commercial centers, some schools and many large firms remain closed. Banks are open for limited hours and huge lines form outside gas stations for scarce supplies. But support for the strike is fraying and businesses are reopening as the shutdown takes a heavy toll on the private sector.

The international community on Friday stepped up efforts to break the stalemate. After meeting in Washington, six regional governments led by the U.S. and Brazil said they would send a team to Caracas next week to back negotiations brokered by the Organization of American States.

The peace talks, which started more than two months ago, are stalled as government and opposition negotiators haggle over the timing of possible elections.

Former U.S. president and Nobel Peace Prize winner Jimmy Carter has proposed two solutions: the constitutional amendment that will shorten the president's term in office or a binding referendum on his rule on Aug. 19. Both sides say they are analyzing the options. Changing the constitution requires a popular referendum, which can be called with signatures from 15 percent of the electorate.

Chavez's term ends in early 2007 and presidential elections could be called at the end of 2006.

The president's popularity has fallen sharply. But he still retains strong support among poor voters who believe his reforms will give them access to the nation's huge oil wealth.

"We thought Chavez was a good alternative offering peace, but he has divided the country," said factory manager Luis Colina taking part in Saturday's rally. "People want to take away Chavez's mandate, but he's scared of a vote."

newsobserver.com By STEPHEN IXER, ASSOCIATED PRESS

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) - At least a hundred thousand Venezuelans - many equipped with tents, inflatable mattresses and foldout chairs - parked themselves on a Caracas highway Saturday in what they said would be their longest protest yet against President Hugo Chavez. Shouting "until he goes!", the protesters blanketed a stretch of nearly three miles, prepared to spend the night. On the advice of organizers, many also brought water, sun hats, portable TVs and radios to help while away the hours. Police at the scene estimated the crowd at between 200,000 and 300,000 people. At least a hundred thousand were present, Caracas fire chief Rodolfo Briceno said.

"Prepare yourself for the longest protest in history!" screamed TV commercials and newspaper ads in the opposition-run media.

The opposition is trying to recover from a Supreme Court ruling on Wednesday that postponed indefinitely a Feb. 2 referendum that would have asked citizens whether Chavez should resign. Although the referendum wouldn't have been binding, opponents had hoped a negative outcome would persuade Chavez to quit.

"Although they stole the referendum from us, spirits are higher than ever," said Alexandra Suarez, a 19-year-old student carrying a sleeping bag on her shoulder.

Opponents had gathered 2 million signatures to petition for the vote. They backed up their demand by launching a devastating national strike Dec. 2 and staging daily street protests. Six people have been killed during protests since the strike began.

The 55-day strike has badly hurt the oil industry, which provides half of the government's income and a third of Venezuela's gross domestic product. But production in the world's fifth largest oil exporter is slowly reviving.

The government claims most of the 40,000 employees at the state oil monopoly, Petroleos de Venezuela S.A., have abandoned the strike and that output has reached 1 million barrels per day. Striking executives put the figure at 855,000 and deny most employees are back to work. Output was 3 million barrels a day before the strike. It reached a low of less than 200,000 last month.

Justices ruled that no national vote - a referendum or election - can be held until it decides whether elections council member Leonardo Pizani is eligible to serve on the panel.

Members of Chavez's ruling party filed a suit arguing that Pizani couldn't serve because he resigned from the council in 2000, only to rejoin last November. Pizani insisted he could rejoin because Congress, by law, had failed to formally accept his resignation.

Searching for a new strategy, the opposition Democratic Coordinator movement is gathering signatures to demand a constitutional amendment that would pave the way for early elections. The amendment would involve cutting Chavez's six-year term to four.

Former President Carter proposed a similar plan while attending negotiations between the government and opposition in Caracas last week. His Atlanta, Georgia-based Carter Center, the Organization of American States and the United Nations are co-sponsoring the talks.

Under Carter's plan, the opposition would call off the strike in exchange for a government pledge to quickly push through a similar amendment. Such a deal would save the opposition the effort of collecting signatures because either the president or Congress - where the government has a majority of seats - can call a referendum to approve the amendment.

Carter proposed a second plan that would have both sides prepare for a binding referendum on Chavez's rule in August, midway point in his term. The constitution allows such a vote. The Democratic Coordinator said it was also collecting signatures to petition for that vote.

Chavez has indicated he would be open to both the amendment and the August referendum, and he welcomed Carter's proposals on Saturday. "The general focus, the strategy, appears spot on," Chavez told reporters. He had argued the February referendum would have been unconstitutional.

www.voanews.com VOA News 26 Jan 2003, 01:55 UTC

At least 100-thousand opponents of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez have jammed a major highway in Caracas to back a 55-day opposition strike that has crippled the nation's economy.

Protesters flooded the highway Saturday chanting anti-Chavez slogans and waving Venezuelan flags. Many of them brought tents and sleeping bags, vowing to spend the night to press their demand that the president step down.

The massive street demonstration follows a recent Supreme Court ruling that suspended a referendum scheduled for February second that would have been a non-binding vote on the president's rule.

Opposition leaders are now concentrating on collecting signatures for a new petition for a constitutional amendment that could cut the president's six-year term to four.

Former U.S. president Jimmy Carter proposed a similar plan while attending negotiations between the government and opposition last week. The former president's Atlanta-based Carter Center, along with the United Nations and the Organization of American States are co-sponsoring the talks.

President Chavez, in an interview published Saturday in a Canadian newspaper, La Presse of Montreal, called the Carter proposals "interesting" but not necessarily new ideas that should be discussed with the democratic opposition.

With Venezuela's petroleum output severely slashed by a general strike begun by oil industry workers, the international community has stepped up efforts to end the political deadlock.

Officials from six nations, the recently-formed "Group of Friends" of Venezuela, met in Washington on Friday. The group is expected to send a high-level team to Caracas next week to help find ways to break the political impasse. The six-nation group brings together the United States, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Portugal and Spain. Opposition leaders blame the country's worsening economic woes on Chavez policies and remain determined to see him leave office. The strike has paralyzed Venezuela's oil production, the mainstay of its economy, and pushed up global oil prices.

Some information for this report provided by AP and Reuters.

www.vcrisis.com  

Author: Emilio Figueredo Emilio is Editor of Analitica.com Article: Notes to the international press interested in Venezuelan events

Author: Moises Naim Moises is Editor of Foreign Policy Magazine and was Venezuela's Minister of Trade and Industry from 1989 to 1990. Article: The Venezuelan Story: Revisiting the Conventional Wisdom Article: Democracy Dictates Latin America's Future

Author: Antonio Guzman-Blanco Former Manager at a major international bank doing business in Venezuela Article: President Hugo Chavez' ties to terrorism

Author: Francisco Castillo Francisco is attorney at Hoet Pelaez Castillo & Duque, one of Venezuela's most prestigious law firms. Article: Chavez and Terrorism

Author: Antonio A. Herrera-Vaillant Antonio is Editor in Chief, "Business Venezuela" Vice president / General Manager VENAMCHAM Article: I got my job through the New York Times

Author: Priscilla West Priscilla is a former PDVSA employee Article: Venezuelan Crisis - It's Not An "Oil Workers Strike!"

Author: J.M. Barrionuevo Director of EM Strategy at Barclays Capital Article: The Crisis Article: Venezuela’s Unfolding Scenario Article: The President’s Freefall Begins Article: Venezuela’s Gathering Tempest

Author: Martin Arostegui Martin is a free-lance writer for Insight magazine Article: Chavez Plans for Terrorist Regime

www.vcrisis.com

In view of the recent articles posted in the international news agencies, I consider necessary for objectivity's sake to stop the ignorant and irresponsible attitude of portraying the conflict as an oil workers strike or even worse, as a clash between classes.

It should not be forgotten that the oil strike commenced after the national strike began, due to the violent attacks perpetrated on Juan Fernandez's house - Manager of the company -, followed by the aggressive dissolution by the army of a peaceful demonstrations outside one of PDVSA's buildings in Chuao, Caracas. This act left journalists, police officers and demonstrators wounded.

Thanks to Chavez's wicked ability at the helm of the economy ( preliminary data from the Venezuelan Central Bank shows that the country's economy contracted by an estimated 10 percent to 12 percent in the fourth quarter of 2002, the largest quarterly drop in the past 50 years ), in Venezuela there are only two social status; a shrinking middle class and the poor. Only 2% of the country's population earns more than 1500 US dollars/month.

In the last survey:

• 58% of Venezuelans blamed Chavez for the disastrous state of the country,
• 68% doubted that the government is willing to negotiate,
• 68% thought the strike should continue until Chavez resigns,
• 93% expressed that the government must negotiate the solution of the conflict,
• 63% wanted the president's immediate resignation. The results are quite clear, perhaps some A-levels in maths will help overcome the press' inability to understand the numbers.

Country's population: 24 million PDVSA's workforce: 36.000 people

This web site was launched exactly 43 days ago. In this period I have been scrutinizing the major international news agencies in search for articles regarding Venezuela's crisis, in an attempt to provide credible information to whomever may be interested. To my surprise, the "trustworthy" sources of information have been producing the most staggering collection of misleading articles about the conflict, not facilitating the formation of a true picture of the events in the country to the general public, and more importantly failing in their commitment to inform. They have flirted with concepts such as "clash between rich and poor" or "the oil workers strike". What I believe constitute the biggest damage to all the sectors involved in this drama, is the constant and repetitive argument of Chavez having been democratically elected. Let us imagine this scenario for one moment: roughly 10% of Americans taking voluntarily and spontaneously to the streets of Washington to demand Bush's resignation - same could apply to Englishmen and Blair, Frenchmen and Chirac, etc.- and their presidents reactions to these events being , " demonstrations? What demonstrations?". Of course it should be added the speech on national TV by the president, urging army commanders to disobey the rulings of the Supreme Court, and I will not continue depicting examples of Chavez democratic behavior for I do not want to appear "biased", the examples are there for anyone to see. Hence my conviction that the international media covers and publishes only what they want and not the true facts. At stake is the freedom and welfare of an entire nation and not just the survival of elitists groups, therefore the significance of providing proper comments on this topic. I have been repeatedly accused of being partisan, in this respect I can only say that there are enough links to CNN in this site to prove the contrary. I really doubt about the skills and education of the journalists in charge of covering these events. I am only a doorman in a foreign country - no journalism background or experience in these matters whatsoever - however, I honestly think that as far as providing veritable information about Venezuela is concerned, I could easily lecture them. The realities reflected in the Venezuelan media and feedback received from family, friends, and people in general are completely divorced from what I gather daily from the international media. Perhaps now that the Americans are going to start to feel the consequences of this issue where it hurts the most - i.e. their pockets -, some questions will be raised and some sort of condemnation towards Chavez will follow. In view of this precedent, who will believe these "journalists"? Most certainly not me..

Aleksander Boyd editor@vcrisis.com