France: French minister says: World ‘needs dictators like Chavez

Vistorin Lurel, Minister of Overseas France, was impressed by the late Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez’s funeral and said on Saturday that the world needed “more dictators” like him.

“The world needs more dictators like Hugo Chavez,” Minister of Overseas France Victorin Lurel said on Saturday after attending the late Venezuelan leader’s funeral.

Lurel described Chavez as a cross between Charles de Gaulle and reforming left-winger Léon Blum, who served three times as French prime minister.

“De Gaulle because he profoundly changed his country’s institutions, and Blum because he fought relentlessly against injustice,” he told RTL radio.

“I’ll be criticized for saying this, but the world needs more dictators like Hugo Chavez, if it’s a dictator that he actually was. He showed a strong respect for human rights.”

Read more: French minister: World ‘needs dictators like Chavez' - FRANCE-VENEZUELA - FRANCE 24

Venezuela: Election, Chávez’s illness put Venezuela on edge

Venezuela rings in its official presidential election campaign this Sunday. President Hugo Chávez and Henrique Capriles, the candidate of the united opposition, have both registered as candidates. The coming months could prove to be Chávez’s toughest yet. They could also put the country on edge as uncertainties over his health lay bare its fragility and ill-preparedness for a potential transition.

Under normal circumstances, Chávez would not have much to fear. He still enjoys the support of many Venezuelans who perceive that their lives have improved under his Bolivarian revolution. With strong emotional ties to his core constituency, the president has successfully distanced himself from governance problems — such as exorbitant crime rates — even as popular support for his administration weakens. He also commands loyal institutions, controls the state media and openly uses the public purse for his campaign.

But these polls are different. Like Chávez, Capriles has never lost an election. For once, the opposition has united behind him. Although most polls still give the president a two-digit lead, the number of still undecided voters is relatively high — Capriles’s moderation might well resonate with them. More important, however, the president must compete against not only Capriles, but also cancer. The severity of his illness remains unknown, and the lack of reliable information has fueled uncertainty and speculation.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/07/01/2875052/election-chavezs-illness-put-venezuela.html#storylink=cpy

Read more: Election, Chávez’s illness put Venezuela on edge - Other Views - MiamiHerald.com

AFP/YahooNews: Critics march against Chavez across Latin America - by Susana Londono

For the complte report from AFP/YahooNews click on this link

Thousands of opponents of Hugo Chavez marched against the Venezuelan president across Latin America on Friday, accusing him of everything from authoritarianism to international meddling. The protests, coordinated through Twitter and Facebook, drew more than 5,000 people in Bogota, and thousands more in the capitals of Venezuela and Honduras. Smaller demonstrations were held in other Latin American capitals, as well as New York and Madrid. The Honduras march was led by Roberto Micheletti, who became president when Chavez ally Manuel Zelaya was ousted in a June coup.

Note EU-Digest: With a total population of an estimated 569 million people in Latin America bringing together less than 10.000 people to protest against Hugo Chavez certainly does not qualify as a great success for the organizers in anyone's book.

EasyBourse: Poland - Walesa Drops Venezuela Visit After Chavez Threatens To Bar Him

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Walesa Drops Venezuela Visit After Chavez Threatens To Bar Him

Former Polish President Lech Walesa has canceled a visit to Venezuela, after President Hugo Chavez threatened to ban the Solidarity leader. "This behavior is not very mature and insults a Polish citizen," Walesa's spokesman, Piotr Gulczynski, said Thursday. Walesa, the 1983 Nobel Peace prize winner, was scheduled to arrive in Venezuela Friday for five days of meetings with students and non-governmental organizations, Gulczynski told Poland's PAP news agency. Walesa has described Chavez as a "demagogue" and a "populist" and said government opposition must be allowed. He tried to visit Venezuela in November, but authorities talked him out of it for an unspecified "security reason."

El Universal: Chávez may stop selling oil to Europe

Daily News - eluniversal.com

Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez lamented a set of rules
approved by the European Union (EU) to expel illegal immigrants
and threatened to stop sending crude oil to European countries
that implement the law."Our oil will not go to any countries which apply this affront,"
said the head of state during a ceremony to review Venezuelan-Paraguayan
cooperation agreements. He recommended the rest of the presidents
in the hemisphere following suit, no matter if they are leftists
or rightists.

Note: EU-Digest: Who cares what Hugo Chávez says. Less and less people are taking him serious, even the ones that wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt are now questioning his motives.

EU-Digest/ShareCast - Oil: Venezuela threatens to cut off oil supplies to US

For the complete report from ShareCast click on this link

Oil: Venezuela threatens to cut off oil supplies to US

Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez has threatened to cease supplies of oil to the US, in retaliation for the court move by US oil giant Exxon to freeze Venezuela’s assets. The news sent the crude oil price racing higher for the third day in succession, despite worries over a possible economic slowdown dampening demand for oil. Crude oil for March delivery hit an intra-day high of $94.72 in New York before easing to close at $93.59. News that Valero Energy had temporarily shut down its Delaware refinery because of a power failure on Sunday also boosted sentiment.

Guardian Unlimited: Chavez loses referendum and bid to rule until 2050 - by Rory Carrol

For the complete report by the Guardian Unlimited click on this link

Chavez loses referendum and bid to rule until 2050 - by Rory Carrol

Voters narrowly rejected the proposed constitutional changes in yesterday's vote, an unprecedented defeat for a leader accustomed to landslides. After a night of political drama, election officials announced the opposition had won 51% and the government 49%, a result that slammed the brakes on Chávez's self-styled revolution.The rebuff will oblige Chávez to stand down when his term ends in 2013 rather than continuing to run for office until 2050 as he had hoped. It will also embolden the opposition and open fissures within his movement now that he has shown to be politically mortal.Three months ago an opposition victory seemed unthinkable, but a loose coalition of students, small political parties and the Catholic church gained traction. Olivia Goumbri of the Government funded Information office said: "The fact that we see that an effort Chavez proposed has not gone through, I think really is a testament to the amount of democratic processes that are going on in Venezuela".

Note EU-Digest: Chavez lost fair and square. To his benefit must be said that he did not manipulate or contest the election results. The elections were reviewed by some 100 electoral observers from 39 countries in Latin America, Europe and the US, plus hundreds of Venezuelan observers, the National Electoral Council said. EU-trade with Venezuela grew by 46.9 % last year to € 6.4 billion. The high growth was mainly due to a strong - 73.3 % - increase of imports from Venezuela.

Sunday Herald: Putin and Chavez: Saviours Of Nations But At What Cost - by David Pratt

For the complete report from the Sunday Herald click on this link

Putin and Chavez: Saviours Of Nations But At What Cost - by David Pratt

To some they are saviours of their respective countries. To others they are vilified as dictators in the making, hell-bent on consolidating their authoritarian grip on power, whatever it takes. Today is a crucial day for Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez and Russian president Vladimir Putin. This weekend, both men find themselves in elections the outcome of which many believe will reveal the true political direction in which the two leaders hope to steer their nations. Putin leads his United Russia party into today's parliamentary poll knowing that an anticipated landslide victory will cement his grip on power even after he steps down from the presidency at the end of his second term next year.

Chavez, on the other hand, is facing a much closer contest in his attempt to urge voters to back constitutional reforms he says are needed to further Venezuela's socialist revolution. Not all Venezuelans are convinced: on Friday, more than 100,000 people took to the streets to oppose Chavez's 69 proposed changes to the nation's 1999 constitution.

Radio Netherlands: The saga of the Joker and the King continues - Chavez threatens Spain with sanctions

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The saga of the Joker and the King continues - Chavez now threatens Spain with sanctions

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has again threatened to impose sanctions against Spain. He says that if the right-wing Partido Popolar returns to government he will order the Spanish oil company Repsol to leave the country. On Friday he said that he will break off relations with Spain if King Juan Carlos does not apologise for telling him to shut up during a conference. The king made the comment after President Chavez referred to former Spanish prime minister and leader of the Partito Popolar Jose Maria Aznar as a fascist.Note EU-Digest: There is a Chinese proverb which says: "When you go up to the mountain too often, you will eventually encounter the tiger" - Mr. Chavez might win todays referendum, but he could also be defeated.

New York Times: Shutting Up Venezuela’s Chávez - by Roger Cohen

President for Life?

For the complete report from the New York Times click on this link

Shutting Up Venezuela’s Chávez - by Roger Cohen

Awash in petrodollars — oil accounts for about 90 percent of Venezuelan exports — Chávez commands formidable resources. They are centered in the armed forces; a huge nomenklatura scattered across the bureaucracy and newly nationalized industries; the so-called Boliburgesía (Bolivarian bourgeoisie) of traders grown rich working the angles of a corrupt system; and the poor whom Chávez has helped and manipulated. Certainly, the oil money Chávez has plowed into poor neighborhoods (at the expense of an oil industry suffering chronic underinvestment) has reduced poverty. The United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America said last year that the extreme poverty rate had fallen to 9.9 percent from 15.9 percent. But more than spreading socialist ideals, Chávez has spread a form of crony capitalism, dedicated to his greater glory, that has imbued the economy with all the resilience of a house of cards. Foreign investment has plunged, scared off by nationalizations. A huge disparity between the official and black-market exchange rates has encouraged get-rich-quick schemes for favored “Chávistas” while erecting endless barriers to trade. Price controls on staples have made eggs unavailable. This week, you can’t find chickens. Chávez’s socialism delivers subsidized gasoline and glittering malls but no milk.

Most of the region has moved on, but not Chávez, who trumpets “growth from within,” whatever that is. The World Bank’s recently released “Doing Business 2008,” a ranking of the ease of conducting commerce, places Venezuela 172nd out of 178 countries. Despite this, the country does huge business with the United States, as its fourth-largest crude oil supplier and a big importer. Chávez’s “socialism” and his chumminess with Iran’s Mahmoud Ahmadinejad do not extend to cutting off the “imperialist empire.” Chávez is too shrewd to sever his lifeline.A possible conclusion would be that he’s harmless — a wily barracks-bred buffoon whose leftist rhetoric is just a veneer for a petrodollar power play.But Chávez’s grab for socialist-emperor status is grotesque and dangerous — as Fascism was — a terrible example for a region that has been consolidating democracy.

Seattlepi.com: SPAIN - 'Shut up'Chavez is hit ringtone in Spain - by Mar Roman

King Juan Carlos of Spain

For the complete report from the Seattlepi.com click on this link

SPAIN - 'Shut up'Chavez is hit ringtone in Spain - by Mar Roman

Many Spaniards were so amused when their king told Venezuela's president to "shut up" they want to hear the words every time their phone rings. About half a million people have downloaded a mobile phone ringtone featuring the phrase "Por que no te callas?" or "Why don't you shut up?" leading Madrid daily El Pais reported on its Web site Monday. That's what King Juan Carlos told Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez during a heated confrontation at a summit in Chile last week. The ringtone is thought to have generated around $2.2 million for the companies selling it, El Pais said.

eluniversal.com:EU reiterates support for Chávez's mediation in Colombia

For the complete report from eluniversal.com click on this link

The European Ministers of Foreign Affairs Monday voiced their support to the talks between the Colombian government and the Colombian Revolutionary Armed Forces (FARC) to attain a humanitarian agreement to swap hostages for rebels, and showed a particular interest in the mediation efforts conducted by President Hugo Chávez, AFP reported. In a statement adopted during a meeting in Brussels, the 27 members of the European Union said the bloc "is closely watching the efforts of the Colombian government, particularly with the collaboration of the President of Venezuela, and supports the work of all the people committed to enforce the humanitarian international law in Colombia."

The statement came on the eve of Chávez's visit to Paris, where he is to inform his French counterpart Nicolas Sarkozy on the progress made in his mediation efforts.

IHT: Spain's king tells Chávez, 'Why don't you shut up?'

For the complete report from the International Herald Tribune click on this link

Spain's king tells Chávez, 'Why don't you shut up?'

The king of Spain told Hugo Chávez, the Venezuelan president, to "shut up" over the weekend in the Chilean capital after Chávez repeatedly called a former Spanish prime minister a "fascist," ending a regional leaders' summit meeting in high tension. Chávez, who called President George W. Bush the "devil" on the floor of the United Nations last year, provoked the exchange Saturday with harsh words for former Prime Minister José María Aznar, who has in the past criticized Chávez.

Spain's current prime minister, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, a Socialist, responded during his own allotted time by urging Chávez to be more diplomatic in his words and respect other leaders.