- Sputnik International
World
Get the latest news from around the world, live coverage, off-beat stories, features and analysis.

Chavez to push term-limit referendum in newspaper column

Subscribe
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is to start his own newspaper column to drum up support for a February 15 referendum on scrapping presidential term limits, Latin American media reported on Wednesday.
MOSCOW, January 21 (RIA Novosti) - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is to start his own newspaper column to drum up support for a February 15 referendum on scrapping presidential term limits, Latin American media reported on Wednesday.

Chavez said at a meeting with his supporters that the column to promote his socialist revolution ideas would be published three times a week - on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays - regardless of his busy schedule.

"My column, The Chavez Line, will appear already this Thursday," he said.

Some publishers have noted that Chavez is following in the footsteps of his idol, Cuban revolution leader Fidel Castro, whose Thoughts column is published in Cuba's leading newspapers.

National media said on Monday that Chavez had suspended for a month his weekly Alo Presidente television program in the run-up to the referendum.

"From today and until February 15 the program Alo Presidente, hosted by the head of state, Hugo Chavez, is postponed," said the country's communications minister, Jesse Chacon. He added that "street events" involving Chavez would be permitted in the build up to the referendum.

The minister said the show would resume after the referendum.

Chavez is certain 7 million voters will support the referendum, the Bolivian news agency ABN reported on Wednesday.

Chavez, who celebrated 10 years in power last December, wants to change the wording of the Constitution from "the president may be reelected only once" to simply "the president may be reelected" before his second term ends in 2012.

More than 50% of voters rejected a similar proposal as part of a package of constitutional amendments in a referendum in December 2007.

"It sounds improbable, but 3 million Venezuelans who voted for Chavez in 2006 [in the presidential polls] didn't come and support the reform a year later," Chavez said. "This must not happen again. This time we will have 7 million."

Just over 7 million voters cast their ballots for Chavez in the 2006 polls.

The global financial crisis has started to squeeze important social programs central to Chavez's plans for the country, and international observers are skeptical as to whether the latest move by the president to hold onto power indefinitely will be successful.

With oil sales making up 95% of Venezuela's state revenues, the drop in global oil prices to around $40 per barrel from mid-2008 highs of $147 will seriously affect the Latin American country's budget, which is based on oil prices of $60 per barrel.

Newsfeed
0
To participate in the discussion
log in or register
loader
Chats
Заголовок открываемого материала