Hugo Chávez

Chavez or no Chavez, they're crossing the border

Sophie Team Observers — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 19:01:34 +0100

Worsening relations between Colombia and Venezuela led to a decision on November 3 by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez to close the border between the two countries. Instead of giving in to the obstacle however, residents from either side are finding every way round it.

On November 9 President Chavez told Venezuelans to prepare for war with Colombia, after it emerged the US army had been granted access to seven of the country's military bases. Chavez had already closed the border with Colombia a week earlier, following the murder of two border guards. Caracas suspected the Colombian paramilitary of carrying out the attack. This was followed by the killing of nine Venezuelans from the border town of Tachira. And to top things off, Chavez believed that the government in Bogota was planning to assassinate him.

Chavez deployed 15,000 Bolivian National Guards (GNB) along a 2,000-metre stretch of the frontier. The border towns of Mara, Páez and Almirante Padilla soon found themselves home to tanks and armoured vehicles.

Despite the tensions, however, residents from both sides of the border remain on good terms, and even manage, in various ways, to reach their neighbour's side.

Images from state run media Globovision.

Hugo Chavez, president for life – now a possibility

Sophie Team Observers — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 18:21:11 +0100

Anti double-voting ink. Image: Franca Alejandra on Flickr

Over 54% of Venezuelan voters opted for Chavez to be able to stay in power for an indefinite period on Sunday.

The government campaigned hard to get their message across with a hefty TV, radio and canvassing operation listing reasons why the president should be allowed to re-apply for his post. Reason number one? "Chavez loves us and love is repaid with love". After he was re-elected in 2006, Chavez already made it clear that he planned to run for president again in 2012, and has talked of ruling way beyond that date. But this constitutional victory doesn't necessarily mean that he will. Venezuela is yet to feel the real effects of the financial crisis, but the price of petrol has already shot up and inflation is soaring. Whether President Chavez will be able to weather the storm with such fierce opposition, is another question.

Chavez, hero of the Arab world

Sophie Team Observers — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 16:24:56 +0100

Go to a pro-Palestine demonstration in North Africa or the Middle East, and chances are you'll see a Hugo Chavez poster bobbing above the crowds. In Lebanon, the authorities have even named a street after him.

Chavez's anti-American ramblings have always found a ready audience in the Arab world. But since the Venezuelan leader referred to Israel's operation in Gaza as "genocide" and expelled the Jewish state's ambassador from Caracas, his popularity has soared even higher.

The mercenary who’s after Hugo Chavez

Sophie Team Observers — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 18:15:03 +0200

Mattias Nilson is a mercenary who doesn't care how it gets it; he just wants an explosive reaction... And it seems that he's got a bone to pick with the new Venezuelan head of state. It's just a video game, but it hasn't gone down all too well in Caracas.

The hero of the game has helped to get new head of state, Ramon Solano, into the top spot. But betrayed by his former silent partner, he decides to take vengeance on the new dictator's army to get revenge. And to do it, he has to go to an American oil company.

"World in Flames" is the second part of the "Merceneries" game series (the first part was set in North Korea). Makers Pandemic Studios insist that the characters are entirely fictional and not based on real people. However, looking at the preamble, it's hard not to see a Venezuela specifically ruled by Hugo Chavez, who keeps the petrol rich state in permanent throws with the Unties States.

Target Ramon Solano is introduced as "a power-hungry tyrant [using] Venezual's oil supply to overthrow the government and [turn] the country into a war-zone". The dictator dreams of making the country into a superpower on the continent and nationalising foreign energy companies. In the opening scenes of the game, which depict Caracas as chaotic, webusers said they noticed PDVSA signs - the national Venezuelan petrol company - on buildings. The images have since been removed.

Ismael Garcia, a parliamentary close to Hugo Chavez, said the computer game was preparation work for a real invasion by Americans. After the attempted US-lead coup against the president in 2002, Chavez has become consumed by the idea.

Chavez has a go at filmmaking

Julien — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 15:03:43 +0200

Written with help from our Observer in Argentina, Johana Kunin.

“Miranda regresa” (“Miranda Returns”) is the first major film produced by President Hugo Chavez’s state-run production company. A historical saga, it depicts the life of Francisco de Miranda, leader of Venezuela's independence struggle against Spanish colonialism at the turn of the nineteenth century. Miranda dreamed of creating a republic called Colombia that would have covered a large chunk of South America.

The motion picture was produced with a budget of 2.3 million dollars by the state-run cinema production company, which Chavez founded in 2006. Over 1,200 extras were hired for the film, shot in Venezuela, Cuba, and The Czech Republic. American actor Danny Glover, a supporter of Chavez, plays a minor part.

The movie’s title, “Miranda Returns”, is the subject of much discussion and interpretation at home. Many wonder whether Chavez is attempting to cast himself as a reincarnation of the Venezuelan hero. The president has depicted the project as an effort to counter Hollywood's global domination, slamming American blockbusters like Superman and Batman as “excrement” and a “source of counter-values”. "There is no revolution if we don't recover our culture, our own values. It is part of the fight against [US] imperial hegemony,” he declared.

The film’s premiere was held in a military fort. Among those present were Rafael Correa, Ecuador’s president and a key Chavez ally. The motion picture is screened in 40 mainstream cinemas throughout the country.

Chavez, Uribe and Correa: let the battle begin

Julien — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 19:48:44 +0100

Since the Colombian army marched into Ecuador to kill the FARC rebel group's number two Raul Reyes, a three-way brawl has erupted between presidents Chavez, Correa and Uribe.

Ecuador was outraged when the Colombian army marched over the border -seemingly overlooking territorial integrity- and so was Venezuela, who has accused the Colombian president of spoiling negotiations with the FARC over the release of hostages. The two countries lined troops along the Colombian border and withdrew their ambassadors from Bogota. It didn't take long for Colombian president Alvaro Uribe to fire back, saying that documents obtained during the intervention prove that Rafael Correa and Hugo Chavez have been directly supporting the FARC and had given the rebel group a huge financial donation.

Material compiled with the help of our Observer in Argentina, Johana Kunin.