Chavez gets OK to approve laws by decree

[Shammu]

Chavez gets OK to approve laws by decree

By NATALIE OBIKO PEARSON, Associated Press Writer Fri Jan 19, 4:17 AM ET

CARACAS, Venezuela - Venezuelan lawmakers gave initial approval to a bill granting President Hugo Chavez the power to rule by decree for 18 months so that he can impose sweeping economic, social and political change.
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Emboldened by his landslide re-election last month, the leftist leader has called for "revolutionary laws" to accelerate the country's transformation into a full socialist state.

"This process is unstoppable," lawmaker Juan Montenegro Nunez told the National Assembly Thursday. "This process is a historic necessity."

The vote was unanimous as the National Assembly has been entirely filled with Chavez's allies since opposition parties boycotted 2005 elections.

Chavez began his third term last week by announcing his intent to nationalize key sectors of the economy, rewrite the country's constitution to eliminate presidential term limits, and strip the Central Bank of its autonomy.

He also called for an end to foreign ownership of lucrative crude oil refineries. Venezuela is the world's fifth oil producer and the fourth supplier to the United States, its top customer.

"What is becoming evident is that all the powers are one single power in Venezuela — Hugo Chavez," said opposition politician Gerardo Blyde.

Chavez has angered Washington with his relentless anti-U.S. rhetoric, his support for
Iran's nuclear ambitions and his warm relations with Cuban leader
Fidel Castro. And yet with oil profits booming and his popularity high, Chavez seems to be in step with many Venezuelans.

At the apex of a resurgent Latin American left, he urged South American leaders meeting in Brazil Thursday to abandon the U.S.-supported free market policies and privatization of state industries that formed the pillars of their main trade bloc, Mercosur.

"We came to approve accords, create space (for the disenfranchised), projects to strengthen the real integration of South America and contribute with something we consider absolutely necessary: the reformulation of Mercosur," Chavez said.

The Venezuelan bill provides a broad "mother law" that would enable Chavez to enact laws by decree. The measure is expected to easily win final approval on its second reading in the assembly.

National Assembly President Cilia Flores said that vote would probably be next week, though she did not specify a day.

"The president has asked for a year and a half, and he will have a year and a half to adapt all of these laws to the new political model," Flores said as the debate opened Thursday. The discussion lasted four hours, though there was no real opposition.

Chavez has not spelled out what other changes he intends to make, but Venezuelan Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro suggested nationalization also was on the horizon for the mining sector.

"The basic industries of minerals should be in the hands of the national state," he said at the Mercosur summit in Brazil.

It was unclear whether that would mean a total state takeover or majority stakes for the government in mining operations now held by private companies. Already state conglomerates have for decades dominated the mining of iron and bauxite to produce steel and aluminum.

Chavez last week designated Venezuela's main telecommunications company and the country's electricity and natural gas sectors as targets for nationalization.

Chavez has formed a commission to rewrite the constitution in keeping with his socialist vision and expects to hold a referendum on the changes by the end of the year. Chavez has already revised the constitution once since he took office in 1999.

Among the changes, Chavez is seeking an end to presidential term limits, which would allow him to run again for the presidency in December 2012.

Chavez has been emboldened to make more radical changes at home after winning re-election with 63 percent of the vote, his widest margin ever.

Chavez says he is crafting a new sort of "21st century socialism" for Venezuela. Critics say it is starting to look like old-fashioned totalitarianism by a leader obsessed with power.

Chavez gets OK to approve laws by decree

[Shammu]

Chavez to U.S.: 'Go to hell, gringos!'

By CHRISTOPHER TOOTHAKER, Associated Press Writer 1 hour, 26 minutes ago

CARACAS, Venezuela - President Hugo Chavez told U.S. officials to "Go to hell!" on his weekly radio and TV show Sunday for what he called unacceptable meddling after Washington raised concerns about a measure to grant Venezuela's fiery leftist leader broad lawmaking powers.

The National Assembly, which is controlled by the president's political allies, is expected to give final approval this week to what it calls the "enabling law," which would give Chavez the authority to pass a series of laws by decree during an 18-month period.

On Friday, U.S. State Department deputy spokesman Tom Casey said Chavez's plans under the law "have caused us some concern."

Chavez rejected Casey's statement in his broadcast, saying: "Go to hell, gringos! Go home!"

Chavez, who was re-elected by a wide margin last month, has said he will enact sweeping reforms to remake Venezuela into a socialist state. Among his plans are nationalizing the main telecommunications company and the electricity and natural gas sectors.

The president's opponents accuse him of using his political strength to expand his powers.

Relations between Caracas and Washington have been tense since Chavez was briefly ousted in a 2002 coup that he claimed the U.S. played a role in. The Bush administration has repeatedly denied being involved, although it recognized an interim government established by coup leaders.

Since then, Chavez has consistently accused the U.S. of conspiring to oust him and often asserts the
CIA is working to destabilize his government. U.S. officials have denied trying to overthrow Chavez, but they have labeled him a threat to democracy.

Criticizing excessive consumption and self-indulgence, Chavez also announced plans in his broadcast to raise domestic gasoline prices and approve a new tax on luxury goods such as private yachts, second homes and extravagant automobiles.

He did not give details on the gas price hike, which he said would not affect bus drivers who provide public transportation, or the luxury tax. He said revenue from the new measures would be put toward government social programs.

Venezuela is one of the world's leading petroleum exporters and gasoline now costs as little as 12 cents a gallon due to government subsidies.

In typical style, Chavez spoke for hours Sunday during his first appearance on the weekly program in five months. He sent his best wishes to the ailing Cuban leader Fidel Castro, his close ally and friend who has been sidelined since intestinal surgery last summer.

Chavez also remarked on the hanging of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein: "They took out Saddam Hussein and they hanged him, for good or worse. It's not up to me to judge any government, but that gentleman was the president of that country."

Chavez to U.S.: 'Go to hell, gringos!'

[Soldier4Christ]

gentleman??

I had to choke on that one.

Chavez gets OK to approve laws by decree

Was there any doubt that would happen? After all it is only normal for a dictator to make his own laws.

[Shammu]

I had to choke on that one.