South America

NOVANEWS The hidden agenda: Conquer Venezuela! By Adrian Salbuchi Global Research This Sunday’s elections will pit incumbent President Hugo Chávez Frías against neoliberal pro-US opposition candidate Henrique Capriles Radonski. Opinion polls vary widely both ways, proof it will be a head-to-head race. This election is not only of vital importance to Venezuela, but to all of Latin America, as Chávez has been a veritable barrier against traditional US interventionism in the region. Get Chávez! That’s been the rallying call in the mainstream Western media, demonizing Chávez’s refusal to align Venezuela to the Western powers’ geopolitical objectives throughout the world, something the US and its allies find very hard to swallow. That’s why they’ve put all their clout behind young up-star...

NOVANEWS by jodymcintyre On the eve of the Presidential elections, here is an interview I made with respected Venezuelan political and sports commentator Reinaldo Iturriza.  His blog, 'saber y poder', can be viewed here:     The Presidential elections are coming up on October 7th, how do you see the chances of Hugo Chavez' re-election? I think the chances are very high.  Elsewhere, it may be a bit difficult to understand how someone who took office almost 14 years ago can be supported by the will of the people to govern for another six years.  The thing to understand is that these elections are not "normal": every time there is an election in Venezuela, the people are confronting two historical projects, the choice between two ways of Venezuelan society.  One of the...

NOVANEWS by jodymcintyre The skies have opened, torrential rain is flowing into Caracas and flooding the streets of the Venezuelan capital, but the air is still warm.  Seven immense avenues through the centre of town are completely full, as are every local neighbourhood I have visited today, every plaza, every Metro station, and even the roofs are occupied.  Today, just three days before Venezuelans are due to go to the polls for the Presidential elections, millions descended on the city from every possible direction for the final mobilisation of the Carabobo campaign for Hugo Chavez' re-election. It is difficult to know how to describe the scenes I have witnessed today, because it bears no similarity to previous experiences.  From the moment I went outside at 10am, I knew that the...

NOVANEWS Gregory Wilpert: Chávez dramatically reduced poverty and remains popular but must solve critical problems plaguing the country Watch full multipart Chávez and the Venezuelan Elections    Bio Gregory Wilpert a German-American sociologist who earned a Ph.D. in sociology from Brandeis University in 1994. Between 2000 and 2008 he lived in Venezuela, where he taught at the Central University of Venezuela and then worked as a freelance journalist, writing on Venezuelan politics for a wide range of publications and also founded Venezuelanalysis.com, an english-langugage website about Venezuela. In 2007 he published the book Changing Venezuela by Taking Power: The History and Policies of the Chavez Government (Verso Books). He moved back to the U.S. in 200...

NOVANEWS Gregory Wilpert: Nationalizations and reforms are popular but perceptions of government mismanagement are widespread Watch full multipart Chávez and the Venezuelan Elections   Bio Gregory Wilpert a German-American sociologist who earned a Ph.D. in sociology from Brandeis University in 1994. Between 2000 and 2008 he lived in Venezuela, where he taught at the Central University of Venezuela and then worked as a freelance journalist, writing on Venezuelan politics for a wide range of publications and also founded Venezuelanalysis.com, an english-langugage website about Venezuela. In 2007 he published the book Changing Venezuela by Taking Power: The History and Policies of the Chavez Government (Verso Books). He moved back to the U.S. in 2008 because h...

NOVANEWS October 7th election to decide future of Venezuela's 21st Century Socialism Watch full multipart Chávez and the Venezuelan Elections   TranscriptVOICEOVER: On October 7th, Venezuelans will return to the polls to decide whether they will continue down the path of president Hugo Chavez’s model of 21st century socialism, or change course by electing the first opposition candidate in more than a decade.   DAVID DOUGHERTY, CARACAS, VENEZUELA: Elections in Venezuela are less than a month away, and here in the capital city of Caracas, election campaigns are in full swing as they enter the final stretch of the campaign season. Most polling agencies indicate a solid lead for President Hugo Chavez, who will secure another 6-year term if re-elected. VOIC...

Venezuelan Barrios Vote for Chavez and Participatory Democracy Are Venezuela's Communal Councils an extension of central power or an explosion of popular power?       Transcript VOICEOVER: This is La Vega, one of the many barrios, or poor neighborhoods, positioned precariously on the sloping hills of the Venezuelan capital, Caracas.   DAVID DOUGHERTY, CARACAS, VENEZUELA: Like in many urban settlements in Latin America, barrios like La Vega were built from the ground up, mostly by the residents themselves, in the absence of the state. People are proud of the communities they have built, but often encounter problems with basic infrastructure that can make life difficult, and at times dangerous. VOICEOVER: Areas like this section of La Vega called Carrete...

NOVANEWS by Jody Mcintyre Tens of thousands of supporters of the opposition marched and assembled in Caracas today, exactly one week before elections are due to take place. The atmosphere was peaceful, and people cheered as Henrique Capriles was lifted through the crowd. It made me think about accusations I have read about 'dictatorship' in Venezuela. It really is a strange type of dictatorship that allows many thousands of opposition supporters to gather, march and wave their flags. It is a strange type of censorship that allows the entire demonstration to be broadcast, live, via the private media that is funded by very rich businessmen. I couldn't see any police, armed or un-armed, in the vicinity; what an usual form of 'repression' they have here in Venezuela! At one point, a polic...

NOVANEWS by jodymcintyre After seeing the reality of life in Venezuela, even if only for a short period of time so far, it seems strange for the title of this article to be posed as a serious question.  Nevertheless, with Presidential elections just ten days, and with an avalanche of misinformation allocated by certain sections of the media, it seems like an important issue to address.  Just last week, former US President Jimmy Carter said that, out of the 92 elections the Carter Center had observed, 'the election process in Venezuela is the best in the world.'  He went on to say that his own country, the United States, had 'one of the worst electoral processes in the world.' Nevertheless, it would be short-sighted to accept the rhetoric of US Presidents, past or present, without ...