Word: copei
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Dates: during 1960-1969
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...Failure. One of the strengths of Betancourt's government, especially in the first years, was its partnership with the country's second-ranking COPEI, a middle-road Social Christian party that is ably led by Caracas Lawyer Rafael Caldera. In last December's elections, A.D. slipped to 33% of the vote (from 49% in 1958) while COPEI increased its share from...
...unlike Betancourt, Leoni and other A.D. leaders were in no hurry to bring Caldera into a new coalition. Jealous of COPEI's rapid growth, A.D. leaders offered Caldera's party only a few governorships and some minor Cabinet posts...
...negotiations dragged on, Betancourt himself argued for a bigger role for COPEI. He arrived at a party meeting with a tape recorder. "I know what I'm going to say here now will prove historic," he said, and then proceeded to read the riot act. "My government would not have survived without COPEI's support. Yours will not either. So get that support." Then he left, promising to play back the tape at a future date...
...Last Try. The gesture was of no avail. Last week President-elect Leoni, a dour, unimaginative party politician, rejected Caldera's final offer for coalition. With that, Caldera announced that COPEI would now go into opposition, would pursue an independent course of "autonomy of action." Leoni scrambled among the other parties, tried to scrape up a tenuous four-party coalition that would give A.D. a majority in Congress. But few Venezuelans were willing to bet that any new coalition would last much beyond inauguration...
...govern effectively, Leoni will have to turn to the man who finished a surprisingly strong second: Rafael Caldera, 47, leader of the Social Christian COPEI Party. He won 21% of the vote. An able Caracas lawyer who advocates far-reaching reform, Caldera has been gathering strength from new voters and those disenchanted with A.D.'s bickering factions. Five years ago, COPEI won 16% of the vote and a junior voice in a coalition government with A.D. Now Caldera's COPEI support is crucial to A.D., and Leoni will have to offer more for a deal with Caldera...