Chavez Proposes Referendum to Stay President Until 2031

[TelecomClone]

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,194557,00.html

CARACAS, Venezuela ? President Hugo Chavez said that if opposition parties boycott December's presidential election he would call a referendum asking voters to decide whether he should govern Venezuela for the next 25 years.

Speaking Saturday at a stadium packed with supporters in central Lara state, Chavez rejected allegations he was a power-hungry tyrant but said he might seek to extend his rule beyond current term limits if the opposition pulls out of the presidential vote, as it did last year's congressional election.

CountryWatch: Venezuela

"I am going to call a referendum," Chavez said. "I am going to ask you, all the people, if you agree with Chavez being president until 2031."

The Venezuelan Constitution allows a president to be re-elected only once in immediate succession. Chavez is eligible for re-election to another six-year term in December, but if he wins he wouldn't be able to run again in 2012.

It wasn't clear if Chavez, 51, was talking about holding a legally binding vote to eliminate limits on re-election or proposing a plebiscite. Before Chavez took the stage, thousands of his supporters chanted: "Oh, no! Chavez won't go!"

Opposition leaders accuse Chavez, a former paratroop commander first elected in 1998, of becoming increasingly authoritarian and opening dangerous divisions along class lines in Venezuela ? the world's fifth largest oil exporter.

Chavez supporters won all 167 seats in the National Assembly on Dec. 4 after major opposition parties boycotted the election, saying they did not trust Venezuela's electoral system or the country's elections council. The opposition has raised doubts about the nation's electoral registry, an electronic voting system and electoral audits conducted by the council.

Chavez on Saturday slammed political foes for suggesting that the elections council, which was appointed recently by pro-government lawmakers, is biased in his favor.

"They already started saying the recently appointed elections council is subordinate to Chavez, that fraud is being prepared," he said.

Polls indicate Chavez is likely to win the Dec. 3 election, and international observers have signed off on recent votes as fair.

Four government opponents have announced plans to run against Chavez, although not all of them have agreed to participate in primaries to choose a single opposition candidate.

The opposition candidates include Teodoro Petkoff, a newspaper editor fiercely critical of Chavez; William Ojeda, a journalist and former Chavez ally; Julio Borges, a conservative attorney; and Roberto Smith, an ex-infrastructure minister.

Not that a lack of term limits is something foreign to democratic government. However, were Chavez to have himself elected for an 'extended term' in one go, I think we might be looking at the genesis of a new "dictatorship."

[Edmond Zedo]

That's exactly what it is. He'd be unaccountable. Cult of Personality. Blah.

[libertarianjim]

A Marxist strongman turning himself into a dictator? No.....

[distraction tactics]

It's not a dictatorship, it's just a really, uh.. a really long democratic term! /Jon Stewart

[s'box]

I'd certainly like to see this story, any story about chavez for that matter, from another source. The amount of outright lies that get told about this man tends to show just how shitty our news is most of the time. I wouldn't be suprised if this story is just a spin of chavez seeking to remove term limits which would make him no more a tyrant than FDR or most parliamentary western government leaders. The mans got a whimsical speaking style and an opposition that runs most of the major news and outright lies a lot, so that little blurb out of context could mean anything.

[TelecomClone]

I'd certainly like to see this story, any story about chavez for that matter, from another source.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060507/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/venezuela_referendum_1
CARACAS, Venezuela - President Hugo Chavez said Saturday that Venezuelan voters should have the chance to decide whether he should govern the country for the next 25 years.
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Speaking at a stadium packed with supporters in central Lara state, Chavez said he would hold a referendum to put the question of his remaining in office to Venezuelans if the opposition pulls out of upcoming presidential elections.

"I am going to ask you, all the people, if you agree with Chavez being president until 2031," he said.

It was not clear if Chavez was talking about holding a legally binding vote to eliminate term limits or proposing a plebiscite.

Chavez said Friday that he said he might seek "indefinite" re-election through a referendum if the opposition boycotts the presidential vote.

"I would call a national referendum to have the people decide if I can continue here indefinitely or if I have to go after six years," he said.

Opposition leaders accuse Chavez, a former paratroop commander first elected in 1998, of becoming increasingly authoritarian and opening dangerous divisions along class lines in Venezuela — the world's fifth largest oil exporter.

The Venezuelan Constitution allows a president to be re-elected only once in immediate succession. Chavez is eligible for re-election to another six-year term in December, but if he wins he would not be able to run again in 2012.

Polls indicate Chavez is likely to win the Dec. 3 election, and international observers have signed off on recent votes as fair.

Four government opponents have announced plans to run against Chavez, although not all have agreed to participate in primaries to choose a single opposition candidate.

As you can see, it's the same Associated Press story.

[SensEye]

"I am going to ask you, all the people, if you agree with Chavez being president until 2031," he said.If they say "yes" it shows they are so stupid they almost deserve what they get.

How about this, instead of a 25 year term, have an election every few years. If the voters like the job Chavez is doing, they can always vote him in again.

[s'box]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060507/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/venezuela_referendum_1

As you can see, it's the same Associated Press story.

That really doesnt necesarily change the trouble with the biased reporting,
All this article really seems to be is an entirely presumptuous interpretation of something chavez said in a speech. It might be the sort of nonsense the reporter is out for since the 'diabolical communist' picture of chavez is the one that the western media sucks up most.

The comment really seems nothing more than eliminating term limits, after that the reporters speculation shouldn't be mistaken for news really

[KuJo]

i dont see why Chavez wouldnt want to try and seize power for a much longer term if he could. hell, i bet the people have no idea whats going on and they just vote to keep whoever is in power. the whole situation in south america is ripe for a dictatorship anyway.

[TelecomClone]

The comment really seems nothing more than eliminating term limits, after that the reporters speculation shouldn't be mistaken for news reallyWhy would he want to propose this kind of change to the established termsystem unless he a) wanted to remain in power until 2031 and b) thought it possible to do so by way of this change? The act itself, without any further information, implies that he's looking at the goal of remaining in office and undoubtedly considering playing with the law in order to get that done. That does not seem very ambiguous, and thus would seem to be a cause for genuine concern - your valid point about western media bias aside.

[s'box]

Right it certainly would require a change in the law, but the act could imply very little in terms of personal aspirations towards anything malevolent. While there is definately cause for concern in the case of a long and extended presidency, many european prime ministers have stayed in power longer than a few 6 year terms without their institutions being marred.

A huge motivational factor, one both personal for chavez and ideological for his movement, behind this I'd bet is knowing how unstable the venezuelan political system is and how strong a hold the upper classes still have on the country, I think theres a general fear that it might be awhile before a leader can rally the sections of lower classes as much as chavez and that the next election would have the same wealthy elites essentially buy their way into power and completely undo everything chavez has been trying to accomplish.

[relaxo]

but the act could imply very little in terms of personal aspirations towards anything malevolent.
Chavez has alredy carried out much malevolence.
Are we forgetting the dozens of opposition protestors shot by his supporters? Of course we are, it's in the name of the "poor".
Stealing of land, stealing of businesses.
As for "wealthy elites", that is him and his family now.

[s'box]

Chavez has alredy carried out much malevolence.
Are we forgetting the dozens of opposition protestors shot by his supporters? Of course we are, it's in the name of the "poor".
Stealing of land, stealing of businesses.
As for "wealthy elites", that is him and his family now.

and are we forgetting the dozens of his supporters shot by his opponents? of course, its in the name of the rich!

Chavez redistributed land to the peasants that worked on it and for it, the land thats rightfully theirs and only even approached the takeover of buisnesses when they were especially vulturous and parasitic.

Chavez isn't even bringing socialism to venezuela, hes not nearly that ambitious, Chavez is trying to bring capitalism to venezuela, by redistributing the land and providing poor folks with cheap credit in order to start their own buisness he is creating a class of capitalists instead of what they have now which looks more like urban fuedalism

[Tlalocone]

In that case if G.W. Bush announce that he wants to stay president at least until 2021, now than I would be horrified, shocked even.I know that U.S Laws doesn't allow him to be in power after 2nd term of his presidential mandatum will be ended.(But between two eyes, I would say that let's pray he won't use illegimite tools(e.g. as a dictator(not like Chavez, i think))to stay in power by the help of the false allegation of 'War Against Terror' or some false allegation like that

[htb]

Chavez is trying to bring capitalism to venezuela"I am convinced that the path to a new, better and possible world is not capitalism, the path is socialism," said Hugo Chavez in February 2005.

Since his election in 1999, Chavez has consolidated executive power, eviscerated political competition through suppression and targeted violence; and, for the sake of this discussion, Chavez has worked to socialize (read: confiscate) every aspect of the Venezuelan economy, from production to labor to banking to foreign investment. Oh, and he pays the electric bills for Fidel Castro's little floating prison.

[s'box]

"I am convinced that the path to a new, better and possible world is not capitalism, the path is socialism," said Hugo Chavez in February 2005.

Since his election in 1999, Chavez has consolidated executive power, eviscerated political competition through suppression and targeted violence; and, for the sake of this discussion, Chavez has worked to socialize (read: confiscate) every aspect of the Venezuelan economy, from production to labor to banking to foreign investment. Oh, and he pays the electric bills for Fidel Castro's little floating prison.

Chavez is a fan of socialism and an advocate of progressive policies, but his two biggest economic programs, cheap credit for the poor to start buisnesses and redistribution of land holdings both do the same thing, create more capitalists and make a freer and more competitive market and hes made plenty of gains towards this end.
His steps towards workers control and nationalization (socialism) have been meager so far and hes been fairly cautious in this regard as contrary to your assertion he really doesn't have much control of his government, which is why so many of these things have to be done with the aid of the military.

Most accusations of consolation of executive power and especially of targeted violence are outright fabrications or awful twists which happens constantly in a country where nearly all the major media, sponsored by the interests of the wealthy, prints lies about him constantly (hows that for a dictator?). The man couldn't even prosecute the people that kidnapped him, put him in jail, and dissolved the countries constitution. What sort of shitty excuse for 'consolidating executive power' is itwhen president can be kidnapped and the government taken over and those directly responsible had nothing done to them?

[htb]

There is nothing sempiternal about autocracy or oligarchy, Somnus. Any authoritarian government is a precarious balancing act between competing interests and manifestations of power and force. What often persists in a country for decades is the sociopolitical condition, not any particular regime. The stillborn coup in 2002 does not in any way disprove methodical and increasing repression by the Chavez government.

Errata: Chavez was elected in 1998.

[s'box]

The point I was making was that the so called 'methodical and increasing repression' is a largely the same sort of ficticous propaganda compaign that any progessive leader that challenges such the current ruling elites has to face and most of it is absolute rubbish with no evidence at all to back it up.

Chavez is not an authoritarian leader by any means, such claims are created and propagated by those whos wealth is threatened by his policies.

[Purple-Silver Fox]

And here's the proof..

http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/articles.php?artno=1723

[Ferrus]

Ah yes, Chavez, the current obsession of the looney left at my university. When will they ever learn...

[Dr. Haight]

Ah yes, Chavez, the current obsession of the looney left at my university. When will they ever learn...Chavez!, Chavez!, Chavez!...

:cheer: :cheer: :cheer:


And to the thread title: He doesn't need to if he keeps winning elections.