Translated material
Dictatorship of democracy
Hugo Chavez is building socialism of the 21st century
The granting of emergency powers to Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has provoked a sharp reaction from his opponents both inside and outside the country. US President George W. Bush said yesterday that he was "concerned about the diminishing role of democratic institutions" in Venezuela and was "working to ensure that they do not become completely undermined." Bush also said that the possible “nationalization of industry will make it difficult for Venezuelans to escape poverty.”Venezuelan opposition leader Julio Borges, speaking on Venezuelan state radio, called on “the four million compatriots who voted against Chavez not to throw in the towel, not to bury their heads in the sand like ostriches and not to allow themselves to be excluded from the political decision-making process.” Borges considers particularly dangerous Chavez’s intention to rewrite the constitution in order to make the number of terms as president unlimited, and this is “unprecedented in 50 years of democracy in Venezuela.”
The Venezuelan National Assembly on Wednesday adopted a law according to which Chavez can now rule the country by decree for 18 months. This means the introduction of presidential rule. It is expected that this will primarily affect the management of the oil and gas industry. There were no deputies who objected - in 2005 the opposition boycotted the parliamentary elections, and therefore is practically not represented there. Lawmakers gathered in Caracas' central square and voted by show of hands as tens of thousands of the president's supporters cheered. Vice President Jorge Rodriguez, who then spoke, ridiculed accusations of usurpation of power: “We want a dictatorship of true democracy.” And speaker Celia Flores proclaimed a new slogan: “Motherland, socialism or death - we will win!”
Chavez himself welcomed the adoption of the “mother of all revolutionary laws.” According to him, expanded powers will make “equal distribution of wealth the main principle of the Venezuelan model of Bolivarian socialism of the 21st century.” To implement it, the president intends to reform the system of government at all levels, law enforcement agencies, local government, banking, insurance and educational sectors, as well as tax legislation. The goal is “transfer of power to the people.”
Having received 63% of the vote in the presidential elections last December, Chavez made it clear that he plans to nationalize the energy and telecommunications industries. This cannot but affect transnational corporations operating in Venezuela, such as oil and gas producers British Petroleum, Exxon and Chevron. They already doubt that they will receive any compensation for their property.
Since 1999, Chavez has served two four-year terms. The current one, which parliament extended to six years last summer, will end in 2013. But the 52-year-old president does not hide that he would like to remain in office further, promising to hold a national referendum on constitutional reform.
“If Chavez goes for an endless extension and expansion of presidential powers, this will undermine his claims to the role of the new Bolivar - the unifier of the continent,” Vadim Teperman, director of the Center for Economic Research at the Institute of Latin America of the Russian Academy of Sciences, told Vremya Novostei. According to him, “Even the left-wing leaders of Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay, who facilitated Venezuela’s entry into the South American common market MERCOSUR last summer, are unlikely to understand Chavez.” The expert is confident: “Nationalization is still in the plans, but I would like to hope that Chavez will choose its civilized version - the buyout of controlling stakes, especially since Venezuela, the fourth oil supplier to the United States, has money. Then foreign specialists, technologies and investments will not run away from Chavez.”