Venezuela: the Chavista revolution advances
By David Raby, Red Pepper
Three months ago the Chávez government in Venezuela was under siege by a jubilant opposition which thought it had the whip hand: with big business shut down by a bosses’ lockout, banks closed, massive anti-Chávez demonstrations and cacerolazos (pot-banging protests) every day, overwhelming media hostility and above all, the vital oil industry paralysed, it looked as if the government’s days were numbered. The opposition demanded a referendum to be held in early February to revoke the President’s mandate, and/or intervention under the OAS (Organisation of American States) Democratic Charter; and with support from the US, Spain, Colombia and other countries, they had reason to be optimistic - or so it seemed.
Today the situation has changed dramatically: the paro (business lockout) collapsed early in February, oil production is recovering, the Supreme Court has declared the referendum constitutionally invalid at this time, progressive Latin American governments have refused to go along with interventionist manoeuvres, and Chávez has taken decisive measures to restore his regime’s authority and support. And in the context of the Anglo-American war for oil and hegemony in Iraq, revolutionary Venezuela stands out as a bastion of resistance in Latin America.
Three months ago the Chávez government in Venezuela was under siege by a jubilant opposition which thought it had the whip hand: with big business shut down by a bosses’ lockout, banks closed, massive anti-Chávez demonstrations and cacerolazos (pot-banging protests) every day, overwhelming media hostility and above all, the vital oil industry paralysed, it looked as if the government’s days were numbered. The opposition demanded a referendum to be held in early February to revoke the President’s mandate, and/or intervention under the OAS (Organisation of American States) Democratic Charter; and with support from the US, Spain, Colombia and other countries, they had reason to be optimistic - or so it seemed.
Today the situation has changed dramatically: the paro (business lockout) collapsed early in February, oil production is recovering, the Supreme Court has declared the referendum constitutionally invalid at this time, progressive Latin American governments have refused to go along with interventionist manoeuvres, and Chávez has taken decisive measures to restore his regime’s authority and support. And in the context of the Anglo-American war for oil and hegemony in Iraq, revolutionary Venezuela stands out as a bastion of resistance in Latin America.
posted 11:18 PM
