News > March 16, 2004

Chávez Escapes Recall

But the Venezuela opposition escalates its tactics

By Steve Ellner

The petition drive to recall Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez was stopped short March 2 when the Electoral Commission (CNE) invalidated more than 876,000 signatures. The commission accepted more than 1.8 million signatures collected in late November (see “Recall Fever Spreads South,” January 19), but the petition ended up 603,590 short of the 20 percent of registered voters required for recall.

The CNE granted the opportunity to revalidate the signatures, but spokesmen for the opposition argued that any procedures violated were minor in nature and did not imply organized manipulation.

Even before the CNE decision, opposition leaders initiated the “Guarimba Plan,” in which small groups blocked traffic and burned trash on key avenues in Caracas and other cities. Street damage in Caracas alone, according to Infrastructure Ministry estimates, reached $1 million in the first week. In addition, armed bands of opposition organizations, including the ex-leftist guerrilla Red Flag, hurled Molotov cocktails and attacked the National Guard—violence that police in areas controlled by opposition parties refused to stop. Henrique Capriles Randonski, mayor of a wealthy Caracas suburb and opposition party leader, said police were right not to interfere because protestors were doing “nothing less than exercising their legal right to protest.”

In an ironic twist, because the disruptions mainly occurred in affluent urban areas, those opposed to Chávez have been inconvenienced most. Gas stations in Caracas’ wealthy zones, for instance, were closed because of risk in delivering fuel. But the possibility of escalation leading to a business-decreed civic strike looms large. Shortly before the CNE announcement, pro-Chávez trade unionists met in Caracas and threatened to put into practice the slogan it raised at the time of the general strike: “A closed company is a company taken over.”

The current showdown is the third in two years. In April 2002 a two-day coup ousted Chávez, and that December the opposition spearheaded a 10-week general strike. Chávez has confronted opposition parties, the business organization FEDECMARAS, labor leaders, the Church hierarchy and, more recently, the United States. Chávez has prioritized the poorer classes both in his rhetoric and actions. Last year he initiated a series of Missions that established literacy, grade school and university programs in the poor communities. These programs, attacked as “populist,” increased Chávez’s popularity among the poor. According to pollsters Consultores-21 and Datos, Chávez’s support tops 40 percent, although his backers claim an even higher rating.

Members of the opposition have alleged human rights violations during the conflict. On March 4, they marched in Caracas to protest 300 illegal arrests and called on the Organization of American States and the Carter Center, who are observing the electoral process, to condemn the state’s repressive actions.

Since the open confrontations between government supporters and opposition began three years ago, both sides were able to count on roughly the same number of followers on the streets. But following the defeat of the general strike in early 2003, the situation changed and more recently the Chavistas called two marches of an estimated 400,000, which were unmatched by the opposition.

The second of the two recent Chavista marches was held February 29 to protest U.S. intervention in Venezuelan affairs. In his speech, Chávez denounced the generous funding of opposition groups by the notorious National Endowment for Democracy. Close to the podium a papier-mâché piranha represented the United States; nearby was a small fish representing Venezuela.

Some observers, including Miami Herald journalist Andres Oppenheimer, interpreted Chávez’s speech as a provocation against Washington in order to deflect attention from the recall and to justify further radicalization.

Chávez went on to deny that he was a Jean-Bertrand Aristide of Haiti. Indeed, the Venezuelan armed forces solidly backs the government, as disloyal members have left or have been forced out as a result of the April coup and the subsequent general strike.

Members of the opposition are convinced that what is happening demonstrates Chávez’s hostility toward democracy, just as the Chavistas are certain that the opposition attempted to commit “electoral megafraud.” In this atmosphere of mutual distrust, a middle ground among national leaders is completely lacking. The situation is aggravated by a private media that has converted itself into propaganda organs of the opposition, just as the state TV channel defends everything the government says and does. In such a setting, it is hard to imagine peace and stability in the months ahead.

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• Reader Comments

  How dare a publication that prides itself in defending freedom, justice and uncovering government wrongdoing portray Hugo Chavez as a popular leader victimized by an irrational, violent and decidedly minority opposition?? How dare you insinuate that only Venezuela’s wealthy and affluent are against this murderous tyrant who celebrates his failed 1992 coup attemp as the beginning of his “Bolivarian Revolution’’? Hypocritical writers at In These Times, specifically Steve Ellner, let me inform you that the dozens of protesters killed by Chavez during last years massive rallies in Caracas were anything but rich - they were simple, hardworking middle to lower middle-class people who were fed up with a despotic, oppresive ruler who was suffocating their basic civil liberties, ruining the nation’s lifeline Petroleum Industry, and devastating the economy - which he continues to do to this day. So how did Chavez react to this increasingly vocal uprising? Ordering his goons to shoot into a sea of men, women and children.
  Apparently, Chavez’s public George W. Bush bashings (who is evil in my book; I just don’t judge leaders based on their political affiliations, as opposed to certain magazines) is enough to spare him, dare we utter the word, criticism. Reporting about Venezuela’s Electoral Commission (CNE) invalidation of almost 900,000 anti Chavez signatures without raising even the slightest doubt or misgiving, and further implying that less than 20% of the total population opposes the despot (despite hundreds of thousands of protesters who have flooded the streets of Venezuela over the past weeks) is laughable. Being a Chilean citizen, I can testify to what life is like living in an oppresive Socialist Regime. Chile is South America’s strongest and stablest economy in large part thanks to the ouster of Salvador Allende. And to set the record straight, Allende killed himself, he was not murdered, as so many conspiracy theorists love to claim. In addition, although very few supported Augusto Pinochet’s dictatorship, the overwhelming majority of Chilean citizens prayed night and day for a military coup against Allende. That is an undeniable fact. The same occurs today in Venezuela. Hugo Chavez is ten times worse than Allende ever was, so he actually deserves to be murdered. 

  Posted by Jaime Uribarri on Mar 17, 2004 at 10:11 PM

  In response to Jaime , Hugo Chavez does suffer the same type of bullying tactics that Salvador Allende suffered in Chile. I to am Chilean and I remember millions of Chileans praying every night that Allende’s revolution lived on(you might remember his popularity had grown to 44% the week before the coup) Chavez has by all means done what and responsible representative of the people should do. He has helped the impoverished by creating new social programs like the reconstruction of roads in poor commmunities, clean water for the poor, new literacy programs for everyone and a re-distribution of wealth which has angered the wealthy right wing. Yes Salvador Allende did commit suicide because as he had always said he would never be removed by anyone other than the people, and never by the fascists. Pinochet tore Chileans lives apart and left the country scared for life he also destroyed one of the longest lasting democracy in the south Calling Allende oppressive is ridiculous to say the least, you might also remember that Allende never stopped the right wing press from opposing him everyday, he also attempted dialogue with the Christian Democrats who did the same thing that is happening today in Venezuela, they sent their goons into the streets to burn and destroy property. Who does this hurt, not the wealthy. It hurts the everyday people Yes these days are similar for Chavez as the days for Allende where. They both have the U.S.A commiting and supporting acts of aggression against them in attempts to monopolize industries in which the respective leaders reclaimed for their own people instead of allowing only the wealthy and american populations to benefit from them. Chavez has learned from Allende as all good leaders will. The revolution must be fought with the people’s power(non-violently) as you may remember Allende in his final address to the public demanding that no one come to his aid for it would be a bloodbath, and he did not want to see the lose of innocence. Good for Chavez for defending Venezuela from not only the wealthy but from the most violent nation in the world the U.S.A. For once the U.S did not suceed in a full on Coup attempt, and why was that, because of the people’s power.  I didn’t no that Pinochistas still wore that wrong prescription fascists glasses
  

  Posted by nelson on Mar 19, 2004 at 5:45 PM

  sorry about the grammar mistakes my spanish is better than my english

  Posted by nelson on Mar 19, 2004 at 5:48 PM

  In response to Nelson, I’m not a Pinochetista by any means. I just think it’s funny that anybody who opposes a communist/socialist leader and exposes their hypocrisy is immediately branded a fascist. While I respect your beliefs, many of your facts are dead wrong. While your statements regarding Allende minutes before the bombing of La Moneda are 100% correct, you apparently forgot that he shut down El Mercurio, the nation’s top opposition newspaper shortly before the coup (I don’t remember the exact date). Also, it is common knowledge that Allende’s grip on the presidency was so tenuous by September, 1973, that he was about to call a referendum, and he would’ve been voted out. By the end of his term, Allende even started to hate the Socialists. He had no control over his constituents, he was a horrible president who would’ve made Chile a second Cuba. After all their big talk about a violent revolution, when the time came to defend their president and their ideology, the overwhelming majority of the “Revolutionaries’’ (Mapu, the Socialists, Communists, etc) hid and went into exile. However, I am most amused by your blind naivite. By claiming that “the peoples power’’ prevented last year’s military coup in Venezuela is just plain hilarious. Do you really believe the United States played an active role in the coup???? When the United States truly wants a government to fall (i.e., Iraq, Haiti) it makes it happen. I’ve spoken to Venezuelan people who believe that Chavez himself started the coup in order to find out who in the military was truly against him. Chavez is a murder, a tyrant, a demagougue with delusions of grandeur. 

  Posted by Jaime on Mar 20, 2004 at 6:07 PM

  your english is fine. 

  Posted by jaime on Mar 20, 2004 at 6:11 PM

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Also by Steve Ellner

• The Trial (And Errors) of Hugo Chavez
  Venezuelans are debating whether Chávez is putting the windfall of revenue from oil revenues to good use or squandering it through disorganization, corruption and misplaced priorities
• Chvez Consolidates Power
  With the opposition routed, Venezuela's "revolutionary process" seems set to accelerate
• Chvezs Opposition Opts Out
  
• Chvez Hits a Home Run
  Venezuela’s embattled president calls his own shot by winning the recall election
• Chávez Escapes Recall
  But the Venezuela opposition escalates its tactics
• Recall Fever Spreads South
  Chávez faces third ouster attempt