Word: vez
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...calculating new Chancellor of the Republic, an Austrian named Adolf Hitler, made sure that German democracy ceased to exist after that election. Almost 76 years later, on February 15, 2009, Venezuelans will face a similar vote in a referendum proposed by President Hugo Chávez to allow him to “seek re-election indefinitely.” In order to preserve their democracy, they ought...
...This is not the first time Chávez has attempted to perpetuate himself in power. Two years ago, he proposed a referendum to modify the constitution to allow him to seek unlimited re-election and better implant his version of “21st-century socialism”. He argued that the Venezuelan constitution constrained his grip on power in a way that prevented his model society from coming to fruition...
...despite Chávez’s subsequent crackdown on the political opposition, his proposal was narrowly defeated, 51 to 49 percent. According to press reports, it was a cinematic ending to a dramatic saga in Venezuelan politics. Upon hearing the news, Chávez promised a sequel, grumbling that “For now, we couldn?...
...trying again. If approved, his proposal could allow him to stay in power indefinitely and use his state power to annihilate any political dissent. In the last few years, apart from disrespecting contracts with foreign oil companies and eschewing American involvement in the region, Chávez has repeatedly attacked any media outlet that opposes his rule. Most notably, two years ago he refused to renew the broadcasting license of a TV station, RCTV, that he identified with the political opposition. With such dismal track record, the power of unlimited re-election would be tantamount to burying Venezuelan democracy forever...
...Chávez is a very Latin American problem. Like his hero Simón Bolívar, he thinks he is indispensable to Venezuela, an oil-rich country that has terrible internal problems, most notably a lack of durable democratic institutions and entrenched economic inequality. In fact, he was originally an army paratrooper who became famous in 1992 when he attempted to overthrow the constitutional government in a failed coup d’etat. Old habits die hard...