Posted: 11/9/2007 8:28:48 AM EDT
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Ex-military chief challenges Chavez By IAN JAMES, Associated Press WriterWed Nov 7, 2:41 PM ET A heated falling out between President Hugo Chavez and his former military chief has revealed divisions within the military that analysts say are a constant concern for the Venezuelan leader. Former Defense Minister Raul Baduel, a longtime friend of Chavez, surprised many this week when he condemned constitutional reforms proposed by Chavez as a virtual "coup," urging voters to reject them in a national referendum tentatively set for Dec. 2. He said Tuesday he isn't ruling out a run for office. Among Chavez's 69 proposed amendments are measures to abolish presidential term limits and lengthen terms from six to seven years, and to strip the Central Bank of autonomy. Baduel warned the reforms would "seize power away from the people," and urged citizens — and soldiers — to study them carefully. "The military is divided," said Steve Ellner, a political science professor at Venezuela's University of the East. "There's an anti-Chavez faction, there's an institutionalist faction ... and there's a pro-Chavez faction." Yet, he said, the armed forces remain cohesive and a strengthened pro-Chavez faction appears to block any chance of insurrection — in contrast to 2002, when Chavez overcame a short-lived coup with help from Baduel and other loyalists. Chavez appears to be taking no chances. Condemning Baduel as "one more traitor," Chavez said military leaders had met to evaluate the possible affect of the retired general's remarks, which he likened to "gasoline." He insisted there is no military faction capable of carrying out a coup nowadays. Addressing thousands of supporters who chanted "Baduel, traitor!" at a rally Tuesday night, Chavez bellowed: "Traitors are the devil. ... Let them leave." "Since the coup, the military has always been a center of attention and concern," for Chavez, said Miguel Tinker Salas, a Latin American studies professor at Pomona College in Claremont, Calif. "He tries to keep a pulse on what the attitude is within the military." Baduel's break is likely to pique public debate ahead of the referendum on the constitutional changes, Tinker Salas said. Chavez insists the reforms would not boost his power but rather help democracy flourish by empowering neighborhood assemblies, creating new types of collective property and easing his planned transition to socialism. Chavez, a former paratroop commander and close ally of Cuban leader Fidel Castro, said comparing the reforms to a coup is an irresponsible exaggeration. Baduel, who was replaced as defense minister in July, is one of the closest members of Chavez's inner circle to defect in recent years. The retired general is not known to have a political following but appears to be testing the waters for a role in the country's fractured political opposition. He has not said which office he might seek. Baduel became friends with Chavez during their soldier days in the 1970s, and was among the founding members of Chavez's political movement. He was widely credited with helping return Chavez to power after the 2002 coup, organizing paratroopers to rescue the president from rebel officers while crowds of Chavistas protested in the streets. Venezuelan talk shows were buzzing with debate over Baduel's possible motives, with some commentators theorizing his defection might even be a tactic orchestrated by Chavez to get more people to vote for his reforms. But opposition newspaper editor Teodoro Petkoff said Baduel appears to be standing up for his own principles. "Baduel is a democratic soldier, not a coup-plotter," Petkoff wrote in his newspaper, Tal Cual. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071107/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/venezuela_military_rift;_ylt=AtGRViCDS7LW5smCjiRBjU1vaA8F |
Meh, here's the real story:  Spanish King Tells Chavez to "Shut Up" SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) - The king of Spain told Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez to "shut up" Saturday during a heated exchange at a summit of leaders from Latin America, Spain and Portugal. Chavez, who called President Bush the "devil" on the floor of the United Nations last year, triggered the exchange by repeatedly referring to former Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar as a "fascist." Aznar, a conservative who was an ally of Bush as prime minister, "is a fascist," Chavez said in a speech at the Ibero-American summit in Santiago, Chile. "Fascists are not human. A snake is more human." Spain's current socialist prime minister, Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, responded during his own allotted time by urging Chavez to be more diplomatic in his words and respect other leaders despite political differences. "Former President Aznar was democratically elected by the Spanish people and was a legitimate representative of the Spanish people," he said, eliciting applause from the gathered heads of state. Chavez repeatedly tried to interrupt, but his microphone was off. Spanish King Juan Carlos, seated next to Zapatero, angrily turned to Chavez and said, "Why don't you shut up?" The Venezuelan leader did not immediately respond, but later used time ceded to him by his close ally Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega to answer Zapatero's speech. "I do not offend by telling the truth," he said. "The Venezuelan government reserves the right to respond to any aggression, anywhere, in any space and in any manner." http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8SR2R2O1&show_article=1 Long live the king! 
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Ground assets. |
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I lived in Venezuela for two years, before Chavez took power. The middle and upper class (what's left of them) absolutely know what's going on. The problem is that the ignorant masses, of whom there is no shortage, still believe that Chavez is going to make all their lives better. What more, Chavez has enlisted the aid of street gangs as enforcers. Think of the "Brown Coats" of Hitler, and you get the idea. The only difference is that Chavez thugs wear red. Also, there is nothing like the 2nd Amendment in Venezuela. There you can only legally own guns if you're able to bribe a judge into issuing you a licence to own a gun. In summary, Venezuela is getting flushed and there's no way for the locals to prevent it. This reminds me that I need to contact several families to make sure they're OK. |
Chavez has been purging the military periodically since the failed coup attempt he faced several years ago. |