Venezuela's opposition feels heat from Chavez

[Zorro]

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Politics has become an especially rough contact sport for Venezuelan state and local officials who oppose President Hugo Chavez.

Several governors and mayors who beat the fiery socialist leader's chosen candidates in November elections say Chavez has hijacked many of their resources and prerogatives. Now, proposed legislation that would give the president power to squeeze minority parties and arbitrarily redraw legislative districts has set off additional alarms.

Gov. Henrique Capriles, who defeated a close Chavez associate in elections in Miranda state, said in an interview Thursday that by not sharing federal revenue, Chavez had cut his state's income by 40%. He said Chavez had also taken over state-controlled entities, including ports, airports, a hospital and an asphalt plant, and appropriated 3,000 firearms from the state police. "Chavez's worst fear is that my government proves to be more efficient than his," said Capriles, whose former opponent, Diosdado Cabello, is now a Chavez Cabinet minister.

On Wednesday, 90 residents of the town of Curiepe, in Miranda, demonstrated in front of Miraflores presidential palace in Caracas to protest the forced ejection last week of state police from their town hall by the National Guard. Most of the demonstrators described themselves as Chavez supporters.

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More at: http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-venezuela-chavez25-2009jul25,0,1677600.story

Hugo's interpretation of democracy sounds very Republican -- giving a Chavez-controlled commission the power to arbitrarily redraw voting district lines immediately before elections.

No possibility of abuse there, eh?