Word: chavez
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...Officials and even long-time confidants who have expressed their differences have often had falling-outs with Chavez. Some of his closest allies from the days of a failed coup he staged in 1992 or from the early period of his government have dropped away from power or have become part of the opposition. When Chavez shuffles his cabinet - as he very often does - his new appointees can seem less apt to challenge...
...Luis Miquilena, a political mentor who helped steer Chavez to the presidency in 1998, has done an about-face since leaving the government in 2002. This week, he described it as a "hypocritical authoritarianism that tries to sell the world certain democratic appearances." Chavez has also recently let go former vice president Jose Vicente Rangel and former foreign minister Ali Rodriguez, who were some of the only figures left in the government with political clout of their...
...government lambastes arguments like Miquilena's, responding that Venezuela is now more democratic than ever. It aims to empower local communities through communal governing "councils" and has set up forums for the common man to debate policy issues. Chavez supporters are also fond of reminding that the president was elected fair and square in 1998 and that the series of elections that have followed since then have ratified his mandate. Allies like National Assembly president Celia Flores say Chavez's reelection to a new six-year term last month means the people endorse his revolution and therefore give...
...critics, who answer that the mandate doesn't mean Chavez has carte blanche to do whatever he wants. The National Assembly is about to kneel to the president's demands that it relinquish its own power as a check on the executive. Even though it was already wholly controlled by Chavez allies, next week the assembly plans to pass an "Enabling Law" that will give Chavez broad powers to pass the laws he wants by decree. "We think a democracy needs autonomous powers, and you're giving the president all the control," opposition leader Julio Montoya, a former lawmaker, told...
...there isn't much the minority can do. Chavez allies control the Supreme Court, the state oil company and almost every state government. People have learned that dissent isn't just frowned upon, it's actually grounds for having your job application rejected: scores of Venezuelans say they cannot get hired by government entities because they signed in favor of a referendum to oust Chavez in 2004. Even smaller Chavez-allied parties could lose their voice if they merge into a unified socialist party the president is creating - which has giveN pause in some circles, like the communist party...