Ready for a recall vote: By Hugo Chavez

Ready for a Recall Vote
By Hugo Chavez
Op-Ed in the Washington Post
Washington POst
Wednesday, May 26, 2004; Page A27

CARACAS, Venezuela -- For the first 24 hours of the coup d'etat that 
briefly overthrew my government on April 11, 2002, I expected to be 
executed at any moment.

The coup leaders told Venezuela and the world that I hadn't been overthrown 
but rather had resigned. I expected that my captors would soon shoot me in 
the head and call it a suicide.

Instead, something extraordinary happened. The truth about the coup got 
out, and millions of Venezuelans took to the streets. Their protests 
emboldened the pro-democracy forces in the military to put down the brief 
dictatorship, led by Venezuelan business leader Pedro Carmona.

The truth saved my life, and with it Venezuela's democracy. This near-death
experience changed me. I wish I could say it changed my country.

The political divisions in Venezuela didn't start with my election in 1998. 
My country has been socially and economically divided throughout its 
history. Venezuela is one of the largest oil exporting countries in the 
world -- the fourth-largest supplier to the United States -- and yet the 
majority of Venezuelans remain mired in poverty.

What has enraged my opponents, most of whom are from the upper classes, is 
not Venezuela's persistent misery and inequality but rather my efforts to 
dedicate a portion of our oil wealth to improving the lives of the poor. In 
the past six years we have doubled spending on health care and tripled the 
education budget. Infant mortality has fallen; life expectancy and literacy 
have increased. Having failed to force me from office through the 2002 
coup, my opponents shut down the government oil company last year. Now they 
are trying to collect enough signatures to force a recall referendum on my 
presidency. Venezuela's constitution -- redrafted and approved by a 
majority of voters in 1999 -- is the only constitution in the Western 
Hemisphere that allows for a president to be recalled.

Venezuela's National Electoral Council -- a body as independent as the 
Federal Election Commission in the United States -- found that more than 
375,000 recall petition signatures were faked and that an additional 
800,000 had similar handwriting. Having been elected president twice by 
large majorities in less than six years, I find it more than a little 
ironic to be accused of behaving undemocratically by many of the same 
people who were involved in the illegal overthrow of my government.

The National Electoral Council has invited representatives of the 
Organization of American States and the Carter Center to observe a 
signature verification process that will be conducted during the last four 
days of this month. That process will determine whether the opposition has 
gathered enough valid signatures to trigger a recall election, which would 
be held this August. To be frank, I hope that my opponents have gathered 
enough signatures to trigger a referendum, because I relish the opportunity 
to once again win the people's mandate.

But it is not up to me. To underscore my commitment to the rule of law, my
supporters and I have publicly and repeatedly pledged to abide by the 
results of that transparent process, whatever they may be. My political 
opponents have not made a similar commitment; some have even said they will 
accept only a ruling in favor of a recall vote.

The Bush administration was alone in the world when it endorsed the 
overthrow of my government in 2002. It is my hope that this time the Bush 
administration will respect our republican democracy. We are counting on 
the international community -- and all Venezuelans -- to make a clear and 
firm commitment to respect and support the outcome of the signature 
verification process, no matter the result.

The writer is president of Venezuela.
-- 
Macdonald Stainsby
http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/rad-green
In the contradiction lies the hope
		--Brecht.

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