Venezuela Head Outlines Changes

[Nomad559]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6948872.stm
President Hugo Chavez has presented his plans for changes to Venezuela's constitution, including an end to the presidential term limits.
Current rules mean Mr Chavez is unable to seek re-election and will have to step down when his term ends in 2012.

His plans, to be put to a national referendum, also increase presidential control over municipalities and states. Mr Chavez has rejected criticism of the proposals, saying they will bring "new horizons for the new era".

Some of the main changes include:

Removing term limits for the presidency, and extending the term of office from six years to seven

Bringing in a maximum six-hour working day

Increasing presidential control over the central bank

Strengthening state economic powers, allowing the government to control assets of private companies before a court grants an expropriation order.

[David__77]

1. It will be interesting to see if he can succeed where Allende failed.

We still have not seen a socialist state successfully emerge in the context of Western-style multi-party politics. In Chile, it was drowned in blood. A mostly-democratic Indonesia was on the same path - once again, drowned in blood at the behest of the CIA. Nicaragua (yes, in 1985 the Sandinistas were voted into office in democratic elections with int'l monitors, etc.), subverted and bullied into submission. Can Venezuela succeed? Or will some fascist come along and unilaterally rescind all these democratically-implemented measures? If majority rule stands, these socialist constitutional changes could remain in effect for a long, long time, regardless of who is president. It could set a positive example for the continent and all developing countries and maybe some developed ones too. Or it reconfirm the worst fears of many that such change will never be tolerated by the ruling elites.