Socialist-Democracy in action. Lose the democracy!

[guyone]

Venezuela's Chavez storms to re-election victory

CARACAS, Venezuela (Reuters) - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez stormed to a re-election victory in Sunday's vote, handing him an ample mandate to broaden his promised socialist revolution and challenge Washington's influence in Latin America.

Worrying his opponents, Chavez has vowed to use a fresh mandate to scrap presidential term limits and create a single-party that he expects to lead in power for decades.

Having already taken on multinational oil giants to demand they hand more control to the state, Chavez will likely press for more share of Venezuela's vast oil and mineral resources and increase land distribution for the rural poor.

© Reuters 2006. All Rights Reserved.

I hear after he eliminates democracy he will make everybody in the country change their underwear every half hour.

[guyone]

(the sound of crickets)

[guyone]

I guess it's OK with you lefties that Chavez is making himself president for life and throwing away Venezuelas constitution. Lefties must truly feel some pigs are more equal than others...

[guyone]

Hmmm...no one cares to comment on this...interesting. I guess people will sell their freedom for a lefty cause.

It truly speaks volumes.

[thombergeron]

Maybe no one is responding because none of us are Venezuelan. Hugo Chavez was elected and has announced what he plans to do with his mandate. Why should we care?

That said, why on earth would Chavez want to eliminate democracy in Venezuela? He's won three elections and beat back a recall attempt. The voters clearly love him. I'm sure he understands that if he canceled elections (for no logical reason whatsoever), his popularity would plummet. And as 2002 demonstrated, there are elements of the Venezuelan military willing to undertake a coup. Democracy works really, really well for Chavez.

And what do presidential term limits have to do with democracy? The main argument against term limits is that they are undemocratic. The United States managed to go 170 years without presidential term limits. Was the U.S. undemocratic until 1951? Ronald Reagan made no secret of his opposition to the 22nd Amendment; he wanted a third term. Are you saying Reagan had antidemocratic, dictatorial aspirations?

[guyone]

You have to see through the smoke. Scrapping term limits, making all other parties illegal, and shutting down television stations kind of totalitarian don't you think?

[thombergeron]

If Chavez actually were outlawing opposition parties and shutting down television stations, then yes, that would seem very totalitarian.

Fortunately for Venezuela, he's not.

[guyone]

Oh I guess Rueters & AP got it all wrong?

[thombergeron]

Oh I guess Rueters & AP got it all wrong?

Well, you posted a piece of the Reuters story. Neither that nor the full story said anything about outlawing opposition parties and shutting down television stations.

As far as the AP, I've read what IHT picked up, and it said nothing about outlawing opposition parties and shutting down television stations. Perhaps you could offer a link or a quote or something beyond your fevered imagination.

[guyone]

Telemundo: Venezuela Halts Transmission

© 2006 The Associated Press

CARACAS, Venezuela — Officials identifying themselves as members of a state regulatory agency forced the U.S.-based Spanish-language TV network Telemundo to halt transmission Sunday of its presidential election coverage.

"We're surprised by this," said Pablo Iacub, a member of Telemundo's eight-person team, which arrived last week. "We only want to do our work," he said by telephone.

At least six people who identified themselves as members of the National Commission of Telecommunications (CONATEL), which regulates electronic media in Venezuela, arrived Sunday afternoon at the hotel from which Telemundo had been transmitting since Friday, said Iacub.

The officials said the network needed permission to transmit and lacking such could not, he said. Iacub said he was unaware of such a requirement but that the Telemundo journalists were accredited with Venezuela's national elections council.

Iacub said the Telemundo team asked how they could obtain permission and, after an hour, were told that they would not be able to transmit.

Telephone calls to Conatel offices seeking comment on the incident went unanswered.

Telemundo Communications Group is owned by NBC Universal Inc., which is controlled by General Electric Co. It claims to reach about 93 percent of Hispanic households in the U.S. and also has viewers in Mexico.




Chavez to close private TV stations

Story Highlights
• Tensions rise between Hugo Chavez and private media before Sunday's vote
• Chavez often has clashed with Venezuela's private TV and radio networks
• The Venezuelan leader warns he may refuse to renew some broadcast licenses

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) -- Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez backed the possibility of holding a national referendum, if he's re-elected, on whether to shut down private television stations that he has accused of subversive activities.

Chavez's comments late Thursday came amid rising tensions between the government and the country's largely opposition-aligned private media ahead of Sunday's vote.

Chavez was asked in a televised interview if he would consider asking the nation whether the government should block certain channels from renewing their broadcast licenses next year. (Watch Chavez land a nod as Time magazine's Person of the Year Video)

"That is perfectly possible," Chavez said. "It's perfectly possible that the country gives its opinion, including for how long."

Chavez also said he regretted not having shut down the country's major private broadcasters right after a short-lived 2002 coup against him, citing four in particular: Globovision, Venevision, RCTV and Televen.

Chavez has clashed with the country's private television and radio networks, which are often highly critical of his government and have favored the opposition in recent years.

During the coup, several TV channels chose to broadcast cartoons and movies instead of his return to power by loyalists in the military amid a popular uprising.

Many media outlets also supported a devastating 2003 strike that failed to unseat Chavez.

In the run-up to Sunday's vote, Chavez has warned that he may refuse to renew their licenses, accusing them of fomenting conspiracies against his government, and also said he's ready to shut down any that try to disrupt the election.

On Thursday, he threatened immediately to shut down any outlet that defies electoral rules prohibiting exit polls and other unofficial counts from being reported until after the National Electoral Council issues its preliminary bulletin.

"You can be sure that they will be closed for breaching the law," he said.

Just a day earlier, a top lawmaker from Chavez's ruling party told government supporters to take over private TV stations on Election Day if they report that opposition challenger, Manuel Rosales, is in the lead ahead of official results, alleging the channel may use rigged exit polls to mislead the public.

"When they start to do that, we must take over the TV channels ... a peaceful takeover as we have always done at the doors of these TV stations," Iris Varela said.

Asked about the possibility that closing private TV stations likely would provoke an international backlash, the Venezuelan leader said that was what held his hand earlier but declared the days of a "permissive Chavez" were over.

"I don't care what the world says. I care about what happens in Venezuela," he said. "The world can say, 'Oh, dear!' but this is my country; I'm responsible."

Local media executives -- joined by the United States and the Miami-based Inter American Press Association -- argue that Chavez has sought to limit freedom of expression since taking office in 1999.

His government has passed a law restricting violence and sexual content over the airwaves, but critics call it a "gag law" that is deliberately vague so that the government can punish media outlets that oppose the administration.

Chavez has denied taking excessive measures, arguing that he is not trying to stifle criticism but rather clamp down on those allegedly using journalistic activities as a front for illegal efforts to topple his government.

Chavez was speaking in a joint interview with two state-backed and two private TV stations in the final hours before the end of campaigning.

Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.



If the country does not like what's on television why don't they just change the channel? Isn't that the stock response from Democrats?