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Venezuela Will Keep on Keepin' On
Via NY Transfer News Collective * All the News that Doesn't Fit
Granma Daily - Dec 5, 2007
http://www.granma.cubaweb.cu/english/news/art36.html
Venezuelas Referendum Leads to Reflection
The Venezuelan National Assembly recognized the dignity and ethics of
President Hugo Chavez and congratulated the population for its civic
behavior.
By JUAN ANTONIO BORREGO AND CALIXTO N. LLANES (photo),
special correspondents
CARACAS." After the constitutional reforms narrow defeat in a referendum
on Sunday, President Hugo Chavez announced his decision to continue
promoting a socialist agenda within the existing constitution. Now the
revolutionary forces of Venezuela are analy
On Tuesday evening the National Assembly (parliament) recognized the
dignity and ethics of President Chavez, whose actions strengthen his
indisputable leader****p. The legislators said they would accompany the
president in his effort to maintain the consti
Desiree Santos, first vice president of the legislature, praised the
public-spiritedness that prevailed Sunday. She said the events contrasted
from the opposition propaganda and the picture created by much of the
Venezuelan and foreign news media about th
Santos then asked what would have happened if the reverse had occurred and
the Yes on the reforms would have won by such a close margin.
Former Defense Minister Orlando Maniglia highlighted Tuesday the role of
the Armed Forces in the current situation and said that far from a coup
mentality, the military structures are growingly committed to the
preservation and development of the country.
Meanwhile, with the referendum now behind, the need to accelerate the
forming of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela is a priority for the
revolutionary forces. To participate in the 2008 gubernatorial and mayoral
elections it must be legalized at lea
Called upon by President Chavez to become the nations political
vanguard, the United Socialist Party had originally planned its
organizing congress for this month. However, the date was postponed
because of the constitutional referendum held on December 2.
***
Workers World - Dec 5, 2007
http://www.workers.org/2007/world/chavez_on_referendum-1213
Chavez on referendum: 49 percent say yes to socialism
By Berta Joubert-Ceci
The Venezuelan National Electoral Commission (CNE) early on Dec. 3
announced the results of the previous days referendum on proposed major
changes to 69 articles of the Venezuelan Constitution. The No vote
opposing the reforms had won by a margin of less
Announcing the results on national radio and television, President Hugo
Ch!vez said that his proposed reform could not happen for now, but I
continue to propose it, the most advanced in the planet and the one that
aims to reach the maximum social inclusio
Ch!vez emphasized that as president of the nation, I have listened to the
voice of the people and will always keep listening to it. I will take it
into my heart for our analysis and to continue constructing the Bolivarian
Venezuela for our children. In a
When the news was known, forces opposed to the Bolivarian Revolution began
celebrating in the wealthy neighborhoods over what they called the end of
Ch!vez and the revolution"in other words, their hopes to bring back the
old system of privilege and wealth
Since Ch!vez took office in 1998, the pro-revolutionary forces had
prevailed in every local and national election, including the 2004 attempt
by the right wing to remove the president from office in a Recall
Referendum and the presidential reelection a ye
What happened this time? Is the revolution weakening? Is the right-wing
opposition getting stronger? Are the people disillusioned with the
revolution or opposed to the idea of building socialism in Venezuela?
Besides the electoral process, what methods ca
Before any of those questions can be answered, we should look closely at
the results. Of the estimated 27 million Venezuelans, 16 million are
registered to vote. The election commission re****ted that 8,883,746 valid
votes were counted, reflecting a high l
The Constitutional Referendum was complicated, with 69 articles divided
into two separate blocks, voted on separately. Taking both blocks, the
results were 50-51 percent of the vote for the No option and 48-49 percent
for the Yes.
Several of the articles in question dealt with concrete issues like
decreasing the work hours and guaranteeing social security for workers in
the informal economy. Others dealt with more abstract matters that
required careful study and explanation. These
Efforts were made to inform the population about the proposed reforms. The
National Assembly distributed 10 million copies of the proposal between
August and October. A special phone line was established for consultation
and more than 9,000 events were he
However, it is clear that this was not enough. Bolivarian Venezuelans are
now in the process of seriously analyzing this outcome.
President Ch!vez said: We were short 3 million people who did not vote
[this time]. Why? We have to evaluate this. I am completely sure that the
immense majority of those people are still with us. They did not vote for
the Yes; they abstained"doubts, fear
He noted, however, that The fact that 49 percent have voted for the
socialist project, in spite of everything, is a great political step.
U.S. behind the opposition
Despite the advances made on behalf of the poor majority, the capitalist
mode of production still exists in Venezuela. The U.S.-allied oligarchy is
in a constant fight against the progressive measures and the prospect of
building socialism.
The traditional opposition, the old parties of the Fourth Republic that
carried out the U.S.-instigated coup against Ch!vez in 2002, had been
fractionalized and weakened. But a new layer has surfaced that has brought
hope to the oligarchy. These are mostl
These sons and daughters of the rich hide under the banner of freedom and
democracy, showing arrogant and racist contempt against not only the
president but the poor and the rest of Venezuelas youth, who are strongly
with the revolution.
U.S. imperialism is trying new tactics to stop the revolution. In the Dec.
2 Wa****ngton Post, Juan Forero wrote that some student groups have received
funding for workshops from the U.S. Agency for International Development,
according to do***ents made av
In this deeply religious country, the Catholic Church has also played a
destabilizing role. Vice President Jorge Rodrguez sent a video to Papal
Nuncio Giacinto Berloco, recorded earlier in one of the Caracas churches,
showing calls to ignore the outcome o
Another tactic used by the opposition was a severe food shortage, created
mostly by the hoarding of basic food items by the oligarchys agribusiness
and food distribution sector. For weeks many people had to stand in long
lines in the Mercales, the governm
In late November, Venezuelan counterintelligence obtained an internal CIA
memorandum on Operation Tenaza [Pliers] from the U.S. Embassy in Caracas.
The memo was authored by a CIA officer stationed in the embassy, Michael
Middleton Steere, and was addresse
It revealed different aspects of the CIA campaign against the revolution,
including the work of the USAID, the creation of fraudulent polls and the
distortion of information about the referendum in conjunction with private
national and international media
The elation of the right wing may not last. The pro-revolutionary forces,
instead of feeling sad or defeated, are expressing a new enthusiasm for
advancing the revolution and building socialism.
Letters to the Web site A****rea and statements of organized parties and
formations all point to the need to filter out what they call op****tunist
elements around Ch!vez that are preventing the revolution from moving
forward and to increase the dialog with
The revolutionaries also agree on the need for serious reflection and
analysis to try to correct any mistakes committed.
Articles copyright 1995-2007 Workers World. Verbatim copying and
distribution of this entire article is permitted in any medium without
royalty provided this notice is preserved.
Workers World, 55 W. 17 St., NY, NY 10011
Email: ww@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
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***
Agencia Cubana de Noticias (ACN)
http://ainch.ain.cu/mailman/listinfo/ingles
Venezuela Will Keep on Strengthening, Says Hugo Chavez
Havana, Dec 3 (acn) "Venezuela will keep on strengthening. This is not
a defeat, this is a 'for now'", stressed President Hugo Chavez after
acknowledging the victory of the opposition movement in a referendum
for constitutional reform at the ballots on Sunday.
From the Miraflores Presidential Palace, Chavez ratified that the
results of the referendum, which was won with a minimum difference of
1.41%, does not mean the way is closed. He further added that the fact
that 49% of the people had voted for socialism constituted a great
political achievement.
The Venezuelan leader noted that if the majority does not accept the
constitutional reform he would delegate it to posterity. "But not to a
100-year posterity," he added and affirmed he will keep fostering the
changes in compliance with the current Constitution.
Chavez also congratulated the adversaries for their victory, and
pointed out that Venezuela has undertaken a long battle for socialism.
"I will not eliminate a single comma from the proposal," he stressed.
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