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INVESTMENT PROPELS A REAL ESTATE BOOM FOR PANAMA
The Christian Science Monitor
November 26, 2007
Panama City - The hilltop view overlooking the former Howard US Air Force Base in Panama says it all.
The vacant barracks will be the site of a $10 billion minicity slated to be the size of Central London. Just beyond the hills, the Panama Canal is undergoing a $5 billion expansion, and in the background cranes hang over new skyscrapers that seem to rise every week.
BOLIVIAN STATES PROTEST AGAINST MORALES
The Miami Herald
Nov. 28, 2007
LA PAZ, Bolivia --
Banks, shops, schools and public transportation were shuttered in cities across Bolivia Wednesday, as demonstrators protested a new law tapping regional budgets for a fund for the elderly.
The measure was passed overnight and enacted by President Evo Morales, whom the opposition accuses of acting illegally and seeking to concentrate his own power through a proposed constitutional overhaul.
CHAVEZ VOWS REFERENDUM 'CANNOT FAIL'
The Miami Herald
Nov. 28, 2007
CARACAS, Venezuela --
Rallies for and against constitutional changes proposed by President Hugo Chavez surged Tuesday as the Venezuelan leader declared that a weekend referendum on the proposed charter "cannot fail."
Such gatherings have increased tensions ahead of Sunday's referendum on reforms that would allow Chavez indefinite re-election, increase presidential terms from six to seven years and help the Venezuelan leader establish socialism in Venezuela.
CHÁVEZ SAYS HE’LL CUT TIES WITH COLOMBIA AND ITS LEADER
The New York Times
November 29, 2007
CARACAS, Venezuela, Nov. 28 — President Hugo Chávez said on Wednesday that he would sever ties with Colombia’s government and its president, Álvaro Uribe, in an escalation of a dispute after Mr. Uribe’s withdrawal of support last week for Mr. Chávez’s mediating role with Colombian guerrillas.
Mr. Chávez did not specify how this move would affect diplomatic relations or trade with Colombia, valued at more than $4 billion annually. His comments came after Mr. Uribe, the Bush administration’s top ally in the region, accused Mr. Chávez over the weekend of seeking to influence domestic politics in Colombia.
VENEZUELANS PROTEST CHAVEZ'S REFERENDUM
The Miami Herald
Nov. 29, 2007
CARACAS, Venezuela --
More than 100,000 people flooded the streets of the capital Thursday to oppose a referendum that would eliminate term limits for President Hugo Chavez and help him establish a socialist state in Venezuela.
Blowing whistles, waving placards and shouting "Not like this!" the marchers carried Venezuelan flags and dressed in blue - the chosen color of the opposition - as they streamed along Bolivar Avenue.
"This is a movement by those of us who oppose a change to this country's way of life, because what (the referendum) aims to do is impose totalitarianism," said former lawmaker Elias Matta. "There can't be a communist Venezuela, and that's why our society is reacting this way."
CHAVEZ SEEKS EXPANDED POWER IN CHARTER
The Miami Herald
Nov. 29, 2007
CARACAS, Venezuela --
Hugo Chavez could have a shot at becoming president for life if voters approve a sweeping overhaul of the constitution Sunday that would give him unchecked power to reshape Venezuela's government, economy and society.
Some polls show Chavez faces considerable resistance in the referendum. His primary impediment seems to be voters like Vanessa Meneses, a 27-year-old single mother who has backed Chavez in past elections but now fears he could become another Fidel Castro.
INTERNATIONAL CHARITY WITH A PERSONAL TOUCH
The Christian Science Monitor
November 29, 2007
La Paz, Bolivia - Angelita Jura sits on the bed in her one-room home here, her head full of the things she wants to say to her visitors. She is tiny and weighs no more than 80 pounds. She is infirm, her hands and legs affected by disease, but an urgency lights her face: "I had a job before I got sick," she says through a translator. "I want to work again."
On this early November afternoon, Ms. Jura has many visitors. The nonprofit organization Airline Ambassadors International has sent a group of six Americans (including this writer) to deliver humanitarian aid to the poorest in Bolivia's capital.
OLD ALLIES ABANDON CHÁVEZ AS CONSTITUTION VOTE NEARS
The Washington Post
November 29, 2007
CUMANA, Venezuela -- Few associates had been as loyal to President Hugo Chávez as the governor of the coastal state of Sucre, Ramón Martínez. And few are now more determined to defeat Chávez as he campaigns for constitutional changes that, if approved by voters on Sunday, could extend his presidency for life.
Chávez, 53 and in his ninth tumultuous year in office, was until recently predicted to win a referendum that would permit him to run for 8office indefinitely, appoint governors to federal districts he would create, and control the purse strings of one of the world's major oil-producing countries.
PEMEX: OIL LEAK MIGHT TAKE MONTHS TO FIX
The Miami Herald
Nov. 29, 2007
CIUDAD DEL CARMEN, Mexico --
An oil platform leak that has spilled thousands of barrels of crude into the Gulf of Mexico could take several months to repair, state oil monopoly Petroleos Mexicanos said.
Since a drilling rig slammed into a production platform Oct. 23, killing at least 21 workers, a total of 11,700 barrels of oil - about 420 a day - have seeped into the gulf, Pemex Assistant Director for Exploration and Production Pedro Silva Lopez told reporters invited to fly over the site with company and environmental officials.
STRIKES SHUT CITIES IN MUCH OF BOLIVIA
The New York Times
November 29, 2007
LA PAZ, Bolivia, Nov. 28 (AP) — Banks, shops, schools and public transportation were closed in cities across Bolivia on Wednesday as demonstrators protested a proposed constitutional overhaul.
The opposition accuses President Evo Morales of acting illegally and of seeking to concentrate his power.
The scattered strikes on Wednesday were focused in relatively wealthy regions of Bolivia, which has been the scene of months of anti-government protests, including clashes over the weekend that killed at least three demonstrators in Sucre.
MEXICO TRIES TO SHOW RESOLVE WITH BIG DRUG SEIZURE
The New York Times
November 29, 2007
MANZANILLO, Mexico, Nov. 28 — Mexico tried to send a pointed message to the world on Wednesday that it took its fight against drug trafficking seriously. Officials burned one of the largest shipments of narcotics ever seized, sending about 23 tons of cocaine into the tropical sky in a black plume.
Drugs from Colombia arrived in October in Manzanillo.
The shipment, seized on Oct. 31 in this sleepy Pacific port, was destroyed as the United States Congress considered a plan to give Mexico $1 billion in aid over the next two years to help curb drug trafficking.
THE LAST BIG HINDRANCE IN COLOMBIA
The Washington Post
November 30, 2007
WASHINGTON -- It seemed a good idea, bringing in the most prominent leftist leader in the Americas, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, to talk to the oldest leftist guerrilla organization in Colombia. Chavez could have a moment in the sun and Colombian President Alvaro Uribe could begin to surmount the last big hurdle to Colombia's peace process -- negotiating the release of hostages and bringing guerrillas of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, to the table for peace talks. Sadly, incompetence and intransigence got in the way.
In August, Chavez had been asked to convince the FARC to free 45 high profile hostages in exchange for hundreds of FARC members held in Colombian prisons. But the Venezuelan strongman proved a bungling mediator. He sapped government leverage by revealing potential concessions and insisted that Colombia create a demilitarized zone for negotiations even though the Colombian government said such a concession would be a nonstarter.
KEY DATES IN COLOMBIAN REBEL KIDNAPPINGS
The Miami Herald
Nov. 30, 2007
A look at key dates in the kidnapping of three American defense contractors and a Colombian politician held by Colombia's largest rebel force, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC.
Feb. 23, 2002 - French-Colombian politician Ingrid Betancourt is kidnapped as she campaigns for president in a rebel-stronghold in southern Colombia. Her campaign chief, Clara Rojas, is abducted with her.
BRAZIL LEADER STARTS REHAB OF RIO SLUM
The Miami Herald
Nov. 30, 2007
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil --
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva visited a teeming hillside shantytown Friday to launch a multimillion-dollar program to build an outdoor elevator, sewage systems, improve roads and upgrade housing for slum residents.
Silva is the first Brazilian president to visit the Cantagalo shantytown or "favela," perched above the upscale beach districts of Copacabana and Ipanema.
CHAVEZ BACKERS RALLY FOR CHARTER CHANGES
The Miami Herald
Nov. 30, 2007
CARACAS, Venezuela --
President Hugo Chavez urged thousands of supporters Friday to approve constitutional changes that he said could keep him in power until 2050 and threatened to halt oil exports to the U.S. if it tries to disrupt Sunday's vote.
The firebrand leftist told tens of thousands of supporters filling the streets that a victory in Sunday's referendum would be a defeat for his enemies in Washington. He threatened to halt the exports if it the U.S. tries "sabotaging" the vote.
"If God gives me life and help, I will be at the head of the government until 2050!" Chavez told the crowd.
CHÁVEZ PROPOSALS WOULD MAKE FINANCES OPAQUE
The New York Times
November 30, 2007
CARACAS, Venezuela, Nov. 29 — As petrodollars stream into oil-producing countries, Western officials have begun to demand greater accountability for how they are spent. Some countries known for corruption, like Nigeria and Azerbaijan, have heeded the call, increasing their financial transparency, or at least paying lip service to it. But Venezuela under the leadership of President Hugo Chávez appears headed in the opposite direction.
“We see Venezuela on the other side of the road,” said Mercedes de Freitas, executive director of Transparency International here. The group, which tries to combat corruption worldwide, ranks Venezuela as the least transparent country in Latin America and 162 out of 179 nations globally. And that could soon fall even lower.
ECUADOR CONGRESS IS DISSOLVED IN VOTE
The New York Times
November 30, 2007
Members of an elected assembly convened to rewrite Ecuador's Constitution voted last night to dissolve Congress, a move expected to strengthen President Rafael Correa. The decision gives the assembly the legislative powers of Congress while it debates a new Constitution over the next six months. Mr. Correa has been seeking to strengthen the office of the president after a long bout of political instability; he is the eighth president in 10 years. The assembly is controlled by Mr. Correa's movement.
COLOMBIA RELEASES VIDEO OF HOSTAGES
The New York Times
November 30, 2007
BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) -- Colombian officials released newly seized videos of rebel-held hostages Friday -- among them three U.S. defense contractors and a former presidential candidate -- the first images in years providing evidence the captives may be alive.
The tapes were seized during the arrest Thursday evening in Bogota of three suspected urban members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, known as the FARC, said Luis Carlos Restrepo, the government's peace commissioner.
IN CHÁVEZ TERRITORY, SIGNS OF DISSENT
The New York Times
November 30, 2007
CARACAS, Venezuela, Nov. 29 — Three days before a referendum that would vastly expand the powers of President Hugo Chávez, this city’s streets were packed on Thursday with tens of thousands of opponents to the change. The protests signaled that Venezuelans may be balking at placing so much authority in the hands of one man.
Demonstrators at a rally in Caracas against Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez's proposed constitutional changes.
Even some of Mr. Chávez’s most fervent supporters are beginning to show signs of hesitation at backing the constitutional changes he is promoting, which would end term limits for the president and greatly centralize his authority. Other measures would increase social security benefits for the poor and shorten the workday.
CHAVEZ SEEKS SWEEPING CHANGES IN VOTE
The Miami Herald
Dec. 01, 2007
CARACAS, Venezuela --
President Hugo Chavez faces his stiffest challenge in years Sunday as voters decide whether to approve constitutional changes that would greatly expand his powers and let him seek re-election for decades to come.
An emboldened opposition and recent violent clashes in street protests point to a potentially volatile dispute if the vote is close.
Chavez has warned opponents he will not tolerate attempts to stir up violence, and threatened to cut off oil exports to the U.S. if Washington interferes. The South American country is a major supplier to the United States - the No. 1 buyer of Venezuelan oil.
COLOMBIA SEIZES VIDEOS OF HOSTAGES
The New York Times
December 1, 2007
CARACAS, Venezuela, Nov. 30 — Colombia’s government said Friday that its army had captured three guerrillas carrying videos, photographs and letters containing proof that more than 15 captives, including three American military contractors and Ingrid Betancourt, a former presidential candidate, were still alive recently.
The evidence obtained Thursday night in Bogotá, Colombia’s capital, offers new hope for the relatives of the hostages, who are believed to be held by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC. Several of them have been held in the group’s jungle camps for nearly a decade. Ms. Betancourt, who was kidnapped in 2002 and holds Colombian and French citizenship, appeared gaunt and apparently chained but clearly alive in the images released Friday.
COLOMBIAN HOSTAGE 'LIVING LIKE THE DEAD'
The Miami Herald
Dec. 01, 2007
BOGOTA, Colombia --
A former presidential candidate held by leftist rebels describes in an emotional letter how she has lost her hair, appetite and hope after nearly six years constantly on the move in Colombia's jungles.
The letter, along with videos released by government officials Friday, were the first evidence in years that Ingrid Betancourt and other rebel-held hostages including three U.S. military contractors may still be alive.
The materials were seized during the arrest in Bogota of three suspected members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC.
FARC VIDEOS SHOW BETANCOURT, AMERICAN HOSTAGES ALIVE
The New York Times
December 1, 2007
Colombian politician Ingrid Betancourt and three US defense contractors, held hostage for years by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), appear alive and well in a series of videos seized Thursday by the Colombian military.
Agence France-Presse reports that the videos are the first evidence of the hostages' well-being since 2003. The videos, along with photographs of and letters from the hostages, were in the possession of three suspected FARC members captured in Bogota.
In one film dated October 24, Betancourt, who was kidnapped in February 2002 whilst running for the Colombian presidency, is chained and looks depressed.
2 LINKED TO HOLLOWAY CASE TO BE FREED
The Miami Herald
Dec. 01, 2007
ORANJESTAD, Aruba --
A judge on Friday ordered the release of two brothers suspected in the disappearance of American teenager Natalee Holloway, ruling that the evidence wasn't strong enough to continue holding them, a prosecutor said.
Satish and Deepak Kalpoe, who were re-arrested in the case for a third time last week, were to be released from jail by Saturday.
CHÁVEZ BLUSTER SURGES AHEAD OF REFERENDUM
The Washington Post
December 1, 2007
CARACAS, Venezuela, Nov. 30 -- On the eve of a referendum that President Hugo Chávez has cast as a plebiscite on his rule, the populist leader is escalating his verbal assaults on foes real and imagined, picking a fight with neighboring Colombia one day and assailing Catholic Church leaders as "mental retards" the next.
Chávez's behavior appears increasingly unpredictable, but some political analysts say the bluster may be a tactic designed to generate support for the constitutional changes that Venezuelans will vote on in Sunday's referendum. Although a few weeks ago the proposals had been expected to receive easy approval, polls released last week showed that the opposition could ultimately prevail in a tight contest.
HOSTAGE FAMILIES HOPE FOR COLOMBIA DEAL
The Miami Herald
Dec. 01, 2007
BOGOTA, Colombia --
Video images offering proof that three captive Americans and a Colombian presidential candidate are alive prompted relatives Friday to urge the government and rebels to reach a deal ending their years as hostages.
The government announced early Friday that an army raid in which three suspected members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, were captured turned up a series of videos of and letters from the kidnapped, which include the Americans and French-Colombian politician Ingrid Betancourt.
HOSTAGES IN COLOMBIA ON VIDEOS
The Washington Post
December 1, 2007
CARACAS, Venezuela, Nov. 30 -- Captured videos on Friday gave the outside world the first look since 2003 at three Pentagon contractors held hostage in Colombia, showing them to be haggard but alive. French Colombian writer and former presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt was also shown, looking thin and dispirited.
The videos, seized by the Colombian army from three suspected guerrillas in Bogota on Thursday night, brought relief to hostage families as far away as Connecticut and Paris.
A GLANCE AT VENEZUELA'S REFERENDUM
The Miami Herald
Dec. 02, 2007
CARACAS, Venezuela --
A referendum before Venezuelan voters Sunday asked them to decide on 69 changes to the constitution proposed by President Hugo Chavez and his congressional allies. The revisions include the following key changes:
- Lengthening presidential terms from six to seven years. Eliminating terms limits to allow the president to run for re-election indefinitely.
- Redrawing the country's political map and allowing the president to handpick provincial and municipal leaders.
FILM ON MEXICO’S DISPUTED ’06 ELECTION STIRS EMOTIONS
The New York Times
December 2, 2007
MEXICO CITY, Dec. 1 — A documentary about last year’s disputed presidential election has drawn big crowds and generated controversy here, after its director, Luis Mandoki, waged a long battle to find a distributor willing to take on a politically charged film.
Last year’s race was a virtual tie, but electoral officials determined that the conservative candidate, Felipe Calderón, had edged out a left-wing populist, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, by 243,000 votes, out of 41 million cast.
CASTRO NOMINATED FOR CUBAN PARLIAMENT
The Miami Herald
Dec. 02, 2007
HAVANA --
Fidel Castro was nominated for a seat in Cuba's parliament Sunday, leaving open the option for the ailing 81-year-old revolutionary to stay on as the communist-run island's president.
A National Assembly seat is a prerequisite for seeking the presidency, and if Castro had failed to be nominated it could have heralded a decision to remove himself from the office after almost a half century as Cuba's undisputed leader.
A GLANCE AT CHAVEZ'S POWERS IN VENEZUELA
The Miami Herald
Dec. 03, 2007
CARACAS, Venezuela --
President Hugo Chavez remains determined to transform Venezuela into a socialist state despite losing a vote Sunday on sweeping constitutional revisions. Here is a look at some of the key ways Chavez is able to exercise his authority to bring about changes.
- Through presidential decrees. The National Assembly granted Chavez special powers earlier this year to enact laws by decree in 11 areas, from the economy to defense, until July 2008. The powers were granted under a so-called "enabling law" aimed at giving the presidential special authority to move ahead with creating a "new, sustainable economic and social model."
GLANCE AT QUOTES AFTER VENEZUELA VOTE
The Miami Herald
Dec. 03, 2007
CARACAS, Venezuela --
Here are some notable comments reacting to Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's defeat in Sunday's vote on constitutional changes:
"We call on all those in power to understand that they must govern for all Venezuelans." - Ricardo Sanchez, a student leader who helped organize anti-Chavez protests
"It's difficult to accept this, but Chavez has not abandoned us, he'll still be there for us." - Chavez supporter Nelly Hernandez, a Caracas street vendor
ACTIVIST SAYS 29 CUBAN DISSIDENTS HELD
The Miami Herald
Dec. 03, 2007
HAVANA --
Cuban police have detained 29 anti-government activists in less than two weeks and seven remain jailed, including a man who called for the communist-run island to tolerate independent universities, a human rights leader said Monday.
Independent education activist Rolando Rodriguez was arrested last week after announcing that 5,000 signatures had been collected in support of autonomous universities in Cuba, said Elizardo Sanchez, head of the Havana-based Cuban Commission on Human Rights and National Reconciliation.
CHAVEZ: PLAN MAY HAVE BEEN TOO AMBITIOUS
The Miami Herald
Dec. 03, 2007
CARACAS, Venezuela --
Humbled by his first electoral defeat, President Hugo Chavez said Monday he may have been too ambitious in asking voters to let him stand indefinitely for re-election and endorse a huge leap to a socialist state.
"I understand and accept that the proposal I made was quite profound and intense," he said after voters narrowly rejected the sweeping constitutional reform by 51 percent to 49 percent.
Opposition activists were ecstatic as the results were announced shortly after midnight - with 88 percent of the vote counted, the trend was declared irreversible by elections council chief Tibisay Lucena.
CHAVEZ LOSES CONSTITUTIONAL VOTE
The Miami Herald
Dec. 03, 2007
CARACAS, Venezuela --
Humbled by his first electoral defeat ever, President Hugo Chavez said Monday he may have been too ambitious in asking voters to let him stand indefinitely for re-election and endorse a huge leap to a socialist state.
"I understand and accept that the proposal I made was quite profound and intense," he said after voters narrowly rejected the sweeping constitutional reforms by 51 percent to 49 percent.
LOSS NOT ALL BAD FOR VENEZUELA'S CHAVEZ
The Miami Herald
Dec. 03, 2007
CARACAS, Venezuela --
In gracefully accepting his first electoral defeat, Hugo Chavez is casting himself as a true democrat and deflecting charges of despotism from Washington and critics at home.
But the Venezuelan president is not pulling back from his socialist agenda, and his opponents - for now - have neither the cohesion nor the clout to stop him.
Chavez narrowly lost a constitutional referendum Sunday that would have enabled him to remain in power for life and drive changes throughout Venezuelan society.
IN MACHO ARGENTINA, A NEW BEACON FOR GAY TOURISTS
The New York Times
December 3, 2007
BUENOS AIRES — Home to the sexy tango and strapping meat-eaters, this South American capital has long been thought of as a bastion of macho attitudes. But a new hotel here is adding to the city’s growing image as a bastion of gay-friendliness.
The Axel Hotel, a Spanish import that opened in November, has come to symbolize Buenos Aires’s increasingly aggressive effort to court gay dollars and euros. It is Latin America’s first luxury hotel built exclusively with gay customers in mind.
That Buenos Aires would be chosen for such a marketing experiment is a result of a marked change over the past several years in the acceptance of gay men and lesbians in Argentine society. This city of three million people has come a long way from the years of military dictatorship, when being openly gay could lead to jail. Five years ago this was the first major Latin American city to legalize same-sex unions, and this summer it was host to a World Cup for gay soccer players, a first in the region.
CHÁVEZ CHASTENED IN VENEZUELA VOTE
The Washington Post
December 4, 2007
CARACAS, Venezuela, Dec. 3 -- A day after the first electoral loss of Hugo Chávez's presidency, the calculus of political affairs in Venezuela has fundamentally changed.
A once-demoralized, inept opposition won an important victory in Sunday's national referendum on constitutional changes, exposing weaknesses in Chávez's traditional base of support and slowing, at least for the moment, a process that would have eroded the country's system of checks and balances.
"The first thing we did was to defeat that giant leap of the president to his totalitarian project," Américo Martín, a longtime leftist leader here opposed to Chávez, said Monday. "That has an enormous significance. The second thing we did was to show that the vote does work here."
GUNMEN KILL MEXICAN DEPUTY POLICE CHIEF
The Miami Herald
Dec. 04, 2007
MEXICO CITY --
Gunmen shot and killed a deputy police chief inside his house in the Mexican border city of Tecate on Tuesday, officials said.
The killing of Jose Soriano, 35, came a day after a U.S. Border Patrol agent found a secret tunnel that may have been used to smuggle drugs across the border from Tecate.
Soriano was shot several times by an unknown number of gunmen inside his bedroom, where investigators found 45 spent bullets, state prosecutors said in a news release.
HUGO CHÁVEZ SUFFERS A BLOW TO HIS 'REVOLUTION': REFORMS DEFEATED IN ELECTION
The Christian Science Monitor
December 4, 2007
Caracas, Venezuela; and Bogotá, Colombia - Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez suffered an unprecedented defeat after voters on Sunday rejected a constitutional package of 69 reforms that included scrapping presidential term limits and declaring Venezuela a socialist state.
It is the first major electoral setback suffered by Mr. Chávez, a former military officer, since he swept into office nine years ago and the clearest sign yet that support for his "21st-century socialism" is on the wane.
MEXICANS GET HOLIDAY CHEER, PAIN ON ICE
The Miami Herald
Dec. 04, 2007
MEXICO CITY --
Thousands of Mexicans are skating, wobbling and often falling on a giant ice rink set up by the tropical capital's government to bring some holiday cheer to this massive, chaotic metropolis.
The rink in Mexico City's main square measures 34,445 square feet - twice the size of a professional hockey rink and nearly five times as big as the one at New York's Rockefeller Center.
PRESIDENT OF BRAZIL'S SENATE RESIGNS
The Miami Herald
Dec. 04, 2007
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil --
The president of Brazil's Senate resigned Tuesday while fighting allegations of corruption.
Sen. Renan Calheiros, a key ally of President Luis Inacio Lula da Silva, retained his position as a senator but announced he was resigning the presidency in what analysts said was a gambit to avoid expulsion from the Senate.
A legislative commission voted 17-3 last week to recommend his expulsion after finding evidence that he used third parties to illegally acquire two radio stations and a newspaper.
VENEZUELA VOTE SETS ROADBLOCKS ON CHÁVEZ PATH
The New York Times
December 4, 2007
CARACAS, Venezuela, Dec. 3 — The surprising defeat of a referendum over the weekend to accelerate President Hugo Chávez’s socialist-inspired revolution has given new energy to his long-suffering opposition.
But just how long that momentum lasts will depend on whether his opponents can keep within their ranks the Venezuelans who defected from Mr. Chávez to vote no on the proposals.
For nine years, a combination of populist politics and rising oil prices have propelled Mr. Chávez’s socialist program for Venezuela with an almost inexorable momentum. On Sunday, his country put on the brakes.
VENEZUELAN PEOPLE SCORE A VICTORY
OUR OPINION: FOR THE MOMENT, VOTERS PUT A BRAKE ON CHAVEZ'S POPULISM
The Miami Herald
Dec. 04, 2007
A funny thing happened to Hugo Chávez on his way to transforming Venezuela into his personal hacienda -- he lost his magic touch with the electorate. Sunday's historic referendum marks the first time that voters have refused to go along with the president's populist design for Venezuela, but the wily Mr. Chávez won't give up easily. His pride has been wounded and his immediate plans ruined, but Venezuelans have a long way to go before reclaiming the democracy that Mr. Chávez has been dismantling for years.
THE OPPENHEIMER REPORT
VENEZUELA OPPOSITION'S VICTORY LARGER THAN IT SEEMS
The Miami Herald
Dec. 04, 2007
Venezuela's opposition victory in Sunday's referendum on President Hugo Chávez's bid to reform the constitution and create a Cuban-styled ''socialist'' totalitarian state was much more significant -- and geographically far-reaching -- than its official 50.7 to 49.3 margin would suggest.
Granted, Chávez's grip on power remains firm, and his government is not threatened in the short term. But Sunday's opposition win has changed Venezuela's political landscape overnight and will make it more difficult for Chávez-backed leaders in Bolivia, Ecuador and Nicaragua to change their own countries' laws to be able to become presidents for life.
OPPOSITION LEADER APPEALS FOR UNITY
The Miami Herald
Dec. 05, 2007
CARACAS --
Opposition leader Leopoldo López Tuesday urged President Hugo Chávez to ''work together'' to improve Venezuela, while newspaper columnists called for a continuation of democracy following the defeat of radical constitutional changes backed by the leftist president.
The National Electoral Council meanwhile said it made a mistake by not revealing earlier that it had agreed with backers and opponents of the reforms to withhold results before 90 percent of the votes had been counted -- leading to an hourslong delay that raised tensions around the country.
PRESIDENT OF BRAZILIAN SENATE RESIGNS OVER CORRUPTION SCANDAL
The New York Times
December 5, 2007
BRASÍLIA, Dec. 4 — The president of Brazil’s senate, Renan Calheiros, resigned his leadership post to avoid being expelled from Congress by his fellow senators because of a lengthy corruption scandal.
Mr. Calheiros, who has been a key ally to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, became the latest political casualty in a series of corruption investigations that have dogged the president this year.
In resigning his post, Mr. Calheiros, 52, survived a vote by the senators to oust him because of misconduct allegations, by a count of 48 to 29. He continued to deny the allegations in a half-hour speech on the Senate floor late today.
VENEZUELA'S CHÁVEZ DEFIANT, DESPITE DEFEAT
The Christian Science Monitor
December 6, 2007
Caracas, Venezuela - Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez says the time has come for "profound reflection" following his first electoral defeat in nine years at the helm Sunday night.
"Did I make a mistake in choosing the strategic moment to present [the proposal for sweeping Constitutional changes]?" Mr. Chávez asked on state television Monday. "It could be. We still aren't mature enough to adopt an openly socialist project." |
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