“Comandante, wherever you are, thank you, thank you a thousand times from this people that you defended, that you loved and that never let you down,” Vice President Maduro said in his mourning speech, addressing the departed Chavez.
After Chavez returned to Caracas from Cuba, where he was treated after another oncological operation, the President of Venezuela did not appear in public. The fact that the president is doing very bad became clear after the Venezuelan authorities announced that the 58-year-old Chavez had a new severe respiratory infection. Venezuelan Minister of Communications and Information Ernesto Villegas said that the respiratory system of Chavez, weakened after undergoing chemotherapy, began to fail: "Our commander and president clings to Christ and life. He is aware of the severity of his condition and fully complies with all the prescriptions of doctors."
People poured into the streets of Venezuelan cities, mourning the death of the leader of the Bolivarian Revolution. The coffin with the body of Chavez will be put up for public farewell until Friday, when the funeral will take place. A week of mourning has been declared in the country.
WHO WILL REPLACE CHAVES?
It is believed that after the death of the president, the powers of the head of the Bolivarian Republic should pass to the vice president. True, the problem may lie in the fact that Chavez, due to illness, could not take the oath after the next re-election. The military command of Venezuela has already pledged allegiance to the vice president and the country's parliament and called on the people to remain calm. And according to the head of the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry Elias Jaua, early presidential elections after the death of Hugo Chavez will be held in the country no later than in a month; during this time, vice-president Nicolas Maduro will act as head of state.
Like earlier the question of the succession of power in Venezuela in the event of the departure of Chavez Chief Editor Latin America magazine Vladimir TRAVKIN, Vice President Nicolás Maduro – “this is not a successor appointed by Chavez, but an official who was chosen along with the President in the recent elections. He has as many votes as Chavez, ie. over 56 percent. Behind him is the majority of the population. This is a man who is considered not only in Venezuela, but also in Latin America as a worthy successor to the work of the current Venezuelan leader.” However, some observers doubt that the former driver and trade unionist Maduro has the charisma comparable to that of the late Chavez - and this could make it very difficult for him to confront the opposition in the upcoming presidential elections.
There is an opinion that the presidential powers should have been temporarily transferred to the chairman of the National Assembly, Diosdado Cabello, who was supposed to hold early elections.
The main Venezuelan opposition leader who fought Chavez in the presidential elections, Enrique Capriles, offered condolences on the death of the president and called on the country's population to unite at a difficult moment. But it seems that he is already ready to join the fight for the post of head of state. As Vladimir Travkin, editor-in-chief of Latin America magazine, noted in a commentary to MK, Enrique Capriles “has his own approach to the development of Venezuela, but he is not an anti-socialist, he simply opposes the regime of personal power, which is personified by Chavez. This is the most visible opposition force, although it does not have entirely positive features for a country like Venezuela. Capriles, though a Catholic, is Jewish. In addition, he is a homosexual. In Venezuela, for all its political correctness, not everyone likes it. However, there is no other candidate yet.”
WHAT WAS HUGO CHAVES
Chavez took office as Venezuelan president in 1999. This was preceded by many events.
Unlike many Latin American countries, Venezuela has not been ruled by a military junta since 1958, there has been no dictatorship, but an established democratic system with two parties that succeeded each other. At the same time, corruption corroded society, the proceeds from the sale of oil were squandered by the powerful of this world (namely, thanks to oil in the 1970s, Venezuela achieved quite good economic indicators, which gave reason to the wits to call it “Saudi Venezuela”). At the same time, the people received only crumbs from the export of black gold.
In February 1992, Hugo Chavez, a paratrooper lieutenant colonel with 17 years of military service, tried to stage a military coup in Venezuela.
As conceived by Chavez, five army units were to take control of key positions in Caracas. Chavez's rebels even managed to occupy the presidential palace, but they failed to capture the head of state Carlos Perez - he fled through the garage.
At that time, no more than 10% of the military supported Chavez in the army. A bunch of inconsistencies led to the fact that the coup did not work. The conspirators did not manage to speak on television with an appeal to the nation, but the fugitive president went straight to TV. The case was lost in Caracas, although "on the ground" the rebels managed to take the situation under control. Chavez, the loser, did not go into hiding - he even came to TV with the consent of the winners. It was a very successful trick: having promised to make a brief call to stop the bloodshed, Chavez suddenly broke into a fiery speech on the air: “Comrades! Unfortunately, so far the tasks set by us have not been achieved in the capital!”
Chavez was imprisoned for two years. There he developed severe visual problems. Difficulties with his eyes haunted him for the rest of his life. While the lieutenant colonel was behind bars, in the same year there was another coup attempt in the country - and also failed.
Ironically, a year later, the very same Perez, whom the lieutenant colonel was trying to overthrow, was placed in the same prison where Chavez was imprisoned on charges of corruption.
In 1994, Chavez was pardoned by another Venezuelan president and was released, greeted by a crowd of journalists. The failure of the coup with the final appeal still played in favor of Chavez - in him the broad masses saw a strong fighter and a charismatic leader who is capable of change. From a PR standpoint, it was a clear win.
In prison, Chavez decides to go to power peacefully. After gaining freedom, Chavez turned to politics. The doctrine that inspired Chavez is called "Bolivarism" - in honor of the hero of the struggle of the South American countries from the Spanish rule, Simon Bolivar. Even the country Chavez, having come to power, renamed the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.
Chavez entered the 1998 presidential election under the flag of the fight against corruption: 56.5% of the vote ensured his victory. Enemy number one along with corruption is declared poverty. The fight against poverty is entrusted to the Bolivarian Missions. Chavez establishes tight control over the state oil company Petroleos de Venezuela. Superprofits from oil are directed to the construction of hospitals and schools, the implementation of agrarian reform, the elimination of illiteracy and other social programs. Among the poor, Chavez's popularity is growing by leaps and bounds.
One of Chavez's first moves in power is to launch his Bolívar 2000 plan. Forty thousand soldiers began to help the needy population: carry out mass vaccination, distribute food to the inhabitants of the slums. Thousands of sick poor people who had no money to travel around the country were transported by military helicopters and transport planes.
Critics say that despite the high oil revenues and the proclaimed reforms, Chavez's success in the socio-economic sphere looks more than modest. Poverty (the poor include about half of Venezuelans), unemployment (its level is one of the highest on the continent) - these ulcers have not disappeared. And the declared fight against corruption remained just a declaration.
I have communist friends, but I am a nationalist! I am a revolutionary in the spirit of Bolívar!, Chavez himself declared. "The Lord is the supreme commander, followed by Bolivar, and then I," proclaimed Chavez, who considered himself the leader of the "Bolivarian, nationalist and Christian revolution."
Some experts have characterized Chavez as an "authoritarian nationalist", comparing him to the Egyptian leader Gamal Abdel Nasser or the early Fidel Castro.
It is likely that a number of circumstances did not come together in a certain combination, Chavez's fame is unlikely to have crossed the borders of Latin America. One such circumstance may have been a surge in anti-globalization activity. Chavez was a welcome guest at anti-globalization forums, he was considered the most promising revolutionary leader in Latin America. But no amount of popularity among anti-globalists can compare with how much Chavez was helped to gain charisma at the world level by the United States of America.
Chavez's coming to power was perceived in Washington by Bill Clinton's administration without much drama. And Chavez himself was not too persistent in anti-American rhetoric. The situation has changed radically since Bush came to power. Chavez did not support the "war on terror" declared by Bush. Chavez at the end of 2001 showed on TV photos of Afghan children who became victims of the American military operation.
“Venezuela is one of the main problems of the United States in Latin America. The rapprochement of this country with Cuba poses a serious threat,” then-US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice once said. In response, Chavez compared the White House to a madhouse.
Back in the days of President Woodrow Wilson, the US ousted its competitor, the UK, from oil-rich Venezuela and supported the then corrupt regime of Juan Vicente Gomez, which gave US companies free rein in the country. As American professor Noam Chomsky wrote in his book “Hegemony or the struggle for survival: the US desire for world domination”, “the policy of open doors and free trade was formulated in the usual format: putting pressure on Venezuela in order to prevent partnership relations with Great Britain while continuing to defend and strengthen US rights to oil development in the Middle East, where the UK and France occupied a leading position. By 1928, Venezuela had become one of the main exporters of oil, and American companies were in charge of the oil fields. Such a policy led to the fact that by 2003 Venezuela was a country with record levels of poverty, despite the fact that its potential and resources were directed to serve the interests of foreign investors, and not its own citizens.
The confrontation between Chavez and the White House has moved to the ideological level. The main Bolivarian took up arms against the American model of neoliberalism, designating it as “the highest stage of capitalist madness.” It is the neoliberal model that “makes the development of democracy impossible, because it interferes with the achievement of social justice, without which democracy is unthinkable,” Chavez assured in response to accusations of being anti-democratic And the aggressiveness of the United States towards Venezuela is explained by Chavez by the fact that Caracas does not accept the model of "neoliberal capitalism".
Rich in “black gold,” Venezuela considered itself under Chavez to be the engine of Latin American integration. The famous Monroe Doctrine "America for Americans" was developed here into the formula "Latin America for Latin Americans". "North America is one continent, South America is a completely different one," Chavez said, calling on Latin American states to introduce a single currency "sucre" in order to force the "weakening US dollar" out of circulation from the continent.
Chavez will remain in people's memory as a tireless orator who could speak for hours at rallies (he learned this from his senior comrade Fidel) and not go into his pocket for a word. Emotionality and readiness to get personal, not embarrassed in the selection of expressions - this was the signature style of Hugo Chavez. Suffice it to recall how he attacked US President Bush Jr.: “He is in this place because he is his daddy's son. They brought him to power. He was an alcoholic. Your president is an alcoholic. This is true. It pains me to say this, but it's true. He is an alcoholic. A sick man".
Oil revenues made possible the success of Chavez's Bolivarian missions. And it was "black gold" that gave Chavez weight in the world in many respects. Venezuela is one of the world leaders in the production and export of oil, one of the founders of OPEC. Chavez himself once said that he became an enemy to the United States largely due to the fact that "Venezuela resurrected OPEC by organizing a summit of the leaders of the states that make up this organization."
Chavez had many enemies, inside and outside Venezuela. "We have the opportunity to destroy him, and I think that the time has come for us to realize this opportunity," - in August 2005, the well-known American evangelist televangelist Robertson publicly made such a "Christian" attack on Chavez. The Christian Coalition of America headed by him helped Bush Jr. a lot in his election to the presidency. A terrible embarrassment came out - the State Department had to call the words of the televangelist "inappropriate" and disown him. Meanwhile, accusations of dictatorship and the word "oil" in a speech against Chavez, who "is going to turn Venezuela into a launch pad platform for communist infiltration and Muslim extremism on the continent” sounded equally often.
There are plenty of people who want to deal with the Venezuelan leader. Back in late 1999, Fidel Castro told Venezuelan journalists that counter-revolutionary elements from Miami had held a secret meeting to discuss the details of organizing the alleged terrorist attack against Chavez. The conspirators were going to arrive in Caracas with forged documents through some third country in order to less attract the attention of border guards and customs officers. In April 2002, Chavez was removed from power for two days when the opposition staged a coup. Pedro Carmona, proclaimed interim president, immediately canceled all the main provisions of socio-economic policy. But the military loyal to Chávez staged a counter-coup and freed their president from the military base where he was being held by the rebels. The failed coup did nothing to improve Venezuela's relations with the United States. Chavez repeatedly accused the Americans of complicity in the coup. Although after the failure of the coup, America condemned it, and there is no direct evidence of US involvement in the events of 2002, it is easy to assume that the American intelligence services were aware of what was happening. Even the disease that killed Chavez is attributed by his supporters to the intrigues of enemies. And who knows?
Hugo Chavez was re-elected to the post of President of Venezuela in October 2012, but he failed to complete the next term ...
MK TV: In memory of Hugo Chavez
CHAVES FRIAS, HUGO RAPHAEL(Chavez Frias, Hugo Rafael) (1954-2013), Venezuelan politician, President of Venezuela.
Hugo Chavez was born in Sabaneta on July 28, 1954. His parents were school teachers. From 1971 to 1975 he studied at the Military Academy of Venezuela. He graduated with the rank of junior lieutenant.
Served in the airborne units. He was fond of reading the literature of left-wing theorists: K. Marx, V. Lenin and Mao Zedong.
In the 1980s, he organized an underground organization called COMACATE, and subsequently, on the basis of this organization, the underground Revolutionary Bolivarian Movement (MBR - Movimiento Bolivariano Revolucionario) was also created.
There has been some economic recovery since 1990, partly as a result of feverish privatization; in 1991 economic growth reached 10%, and in 1992 - 9%. However, by the end of 1992, growth slowed down, and inflation remained at 30%.
The crisis in the country continued to deepen. There was an outflow of capital, a number of banks declared their insolvency. Crime rose sharply, in overcrowded prisons every now and then there were riots of prisoners. Ex-president Jaime Lusinchi, accused in 1993 of corruption, was acquitted, but former President Perez was placed under house arrest, and in 1996 the Supreme Court found him guilty of misappropriation of public funds.
Chavez spent two years in prison after his failed military coup attempt, went free and set about creating his own electorate, appealing mainly to the poor for support. His supporters united in the so-called "Movement of the Fifth Republic" (DPR). Chavez's candidacy in the presidential elections in December 1998 was supported, in addition to the DPR, also by the IAU and a coalition of small left-wing groups.
In the November 1998 parliamentary elections, the Patriotic Pole coalition that supported Chavez, as part of his Fifth Republic Movement (DPR), the Movement to Socialism (MAS), the Motherland Party for All and other groups, won about 34% of the vote and won 76 out of 189 seats in the Chamber of Deputies and 17 of the 48 seats in the Senate. The DD remained the largest of the individual parties (55 seats in the Chamber of Deputies and 19 in the Senate). KOPEY received only 27 deputy and 7 Senate seats. In the elections of governors of the states and the capital district, Patriotic Pole and DD won 8 posts each, KOPEI - 5.
The presidential elections that followed in December 1998 turned out to be a real political earthquake. They showed the decline of the influence of DD and SPOKES, which dominated the country for almost 40 years. The result of their rule was corruption, increased poverty and a sharp deterioration in basic public services, including health and education. Despite the oil wealth of Venezuela, more than 80% of the population lived in poverty, 40% even below the subsistence level. The economic recession, which began as a result of falling oil prices, errors in financial policy and political instability, led to a fall in gross domestic product by 0.7% in 1998 (in 1999 the crisis continued, despite the fact that oil prices rose again).
In the wake of general discontent, Hugo Chavez won the presidential election (56.2% of the vote), far ahead of his rivals - banker and former governor Enrique Salas Römer (39.9%) and Miss Universe 1981 Irena Saez (2.8% ). The traditional parties DD and KOPEY refused to nominate their own candidates and expressed support for Salas.
Having assumed the presidency on February 2, 1999, Hugo Chavez refused to take an oath on the 1961 constitution, declaring it "dead." He announced his intention to achieve the adoption of a new constitution, which was supposed to provide for a profound reform of the entire political, legal and economic system, to combat poverty and corruption. Chavez proclaimed the start of a "peaceful revolution" and threatened to dissolve Congress and the Supreme Court if they resisted the planned reforms.
Chavez's socio-economic policy did not provide for a fundamental rejection of market mechanisms, the "austerity" regime and economic orientation towards the United States, did not involve the nationalization of the main industries and finances. At the same time, the new authorities sought to increase state intervention in the economic and social sphere. Chávez launched the "Plan Bolivar 2000", according to which 70,000 military personnel and 80,000 civil servants were sent to projects for infrastructure development, health care, agricultural education and road construction. At the same time, the government continued its policy of further reducing public spending, including for social needs, limited wage increases in the public sector, so that it lagged significantly behind inflation, introduced a tax on banking operations, and so on.
The coming to power of Chavez led to a sharp polarization of political forces. A sharp struggle unfolded between his authoritarian regime and the old party, legal, business and trade union elites. The President immediately went on the offensive against the legislative and judicial authorities of Venezuela. On February 17, 1999, he demanded the adoption of a law granting him emergency powers. At the end of March, Congress was forced to recognize the president's right to legislative measures to improve the budget for a period of 180 days, and on April 15 - after Chavez's threats to introduce a state of emergency - additional emergency powers in the field of the economy.
In April 1999, Chavez held a referendum, during which 90% of the participants (only 47% of voters voted) were in favor of convening a Constituent Assembly to develop a new constitution for the country. Elections to the assembly took place in July; 120 out of 128 seats (three more seats were reserved for the Indian communities) were won by supporters of the president, and he was reappointed in his post. The Supreme Court tried to limit the powers of the Constituent Assembly by ruling that it had no right to dissolve democratically elected bodies. However, on August 12, the assembly, ignoring the opinion of the judiciary, announced the adoption of emergency powers to reform state bodies, and on August 19 introduced a "state of emergency" in the field of justice. It also decided to conduct an investigation into the activities of all judicial instances of the country, including the Supreme Court, as well as to purge them of persons involved in corruption. After that, the resistance of the Supreme Court was broken, and its chairman, Cecilia Sosa Gomez, resigned. The authorities opened cases against 75 judges of various levels on charges of abuse of office and corruption.
Now the main blow of the Chavez government was directed at the opposition National Congress. On August 25, 1999, the Constituent Assembly decided to strip Congress of legislative powers; its meetings were banned and a commission was appointed to investigate the activities of deputies and senators. The severity of the conflict was mitigated by the mediation of the Catholic Church (Hugo Chavez himself is a deeply religious Catholic). According to the compromise reached, the congress was able to resume its meetings on October 1, 1999, but was forced, in essence, to accept its own disenfranchised position. The Supreme Court dismissed the claim of parliamentarians who sought the abolition of the emergency laws adopted by the Constituent Assembly. Finally, both the assembly and the congress approved the text of the new constitution of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, and on December 15 it was approved by a popular referendum. The provisions contained in the text, which provided for the expansion of state intervention in the economy, aroused dissatisfaction with business organizations.
After the entry into force of the constitution in January 2000, the Constituent Assembly was dissolved and replaced by an interim committee of the congress until new elections.
The next conflict arose between the Chavez government and the press. An opposition TV magazine was shut down by the authorities, prompting violent demonstrations by journalists who accused the regime of violating press freedom. Venezuelan private television channels openly opposed the president.
The presidential elections on July 30, 2000 were won by Hugo Chavez, who received more than 59% of the vote and began his new term of office on August 19. This time, the president's main rival was his former colleague in the 1992 military uprising, Lieutenant Colonel Francisco Arias Cardenas, who has now gone over to the opposition against Chavez. Having united around himself the opponents of the incumbent president, Arias Cardenas collected more than 37% of the vote. 3% went to the share of another opposition candidate - Claudio Fermin. The patriotic pole also won parliamentary and gubernatorial elections, winning 99 seats in the National Assembly and 13 governorships.
The economic situation in the country was exacerbated by rising unemployment, falling living standards and capital flight abroad. Civil servants and trade unions responded with massive protest demonstrations and threats of strikes.
In the field of foreign policy, Chavez sought to expand contacts with oil-producing countries and establish cooperation with Cuba, but at the same time did not want to worsen relations with the United States, the main consumer of Venezuelan oil.
Throughout 2001, the standoff between President Chávez and his old elite opponents escalated and escalated into open confrontation the following year. The dissatisfaction of some of the highest military circles increased, some of whose representatives publicly called for Chavez to resign. In April 2002, the government replaced the entire leadership of the state oil company Petroleos de Venezuela, in response, opposition leaders of the Confederation of Workers of Venezuela called for an indefinite general strike. The performance of the oil workers and trade unions was supported by the unions of entrepreneurs. After clashes between hundreds of thousands of supporters and opponents of the president took place in Caracas, during which there were dozens of dead and wounded, the commanders of the military branches carried out a military coup on April 11; Chavez was forced to resign and arrested. The rebellious generals put the President of the Venezuelan Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry and Associations (the largest association of entrepreneurs) Pedro Carmona at the head of the transitional government. However, most of the army remained loyal to the president, in addition, many hundreds of thousands of his supporters took to the streets, who were mobilized by the Bolivarian Committees, mainly in the poor neighborhoods of cities. The counter-coup resulted in Chávez returning to power; his leading opponents were arrested.
The failure of the April coup did not end the political crisis in Venezuela. During the year, the opposition, taking advantage of the growing economic difficulties and inflation, organized four general strikes against the government of President Chavez. The largest of them began in early December 2002 and lasted more than 2 months. The protests were organized by the leaders of the Trade Union Confederation of Workers of Venezuela and the Democratic Coordination political bloc. They demanded the resignation of Chavez and a referendum on his presidency. But this strike (like the previous one, in October 2003) ended in failure.
In 2004, a referendum was held, in which the main issue was the question of confidence in the president of the country. Over 59% of the population supported Chavez that he should remain in office.
Chavez strengthened cooperation with Cuba, because. there was an understanding that it was necessary to unite against the imperialist encirclement. In 2006 Chavez coined the term "Axis of Good" and he tried to consolidate countries like Cuba Bolivia. Later, Iran, Nicaragua, Belarus joined the axis of goodness as potential allies.
On December 4, 2006, the means of Hugo Chavez in the next presidential election again won a landslide victory over the candidate from the Venezuelan opposition, the governor of the piece. Zulia M. Rosales.
In early January 2007, Hugo Chavez announced the nationalization of Venezuela's largest telecommunications and electricity companies - Compania Nacional de Telefonos de Venezuela (СANTV) and EdC, controlled by American firms.
On January 18, 2007, the country's parliament passed a law granting U. Chavez emergency legislative powers for the next year and a half.
On October 7, 2012, the next presidential elections were held. 6 candidates took part in the presidential race. The largest number Hugo Chávez (55.26%) and Enrique Capriles Radonski, the single opposition candidate (ca. 45%) received the votes. Chavez was re-elected president for the fourth time.
After re-election, Chavez changed the composition of the government. He appointed Nicolás Maduro, a former foreign minister, as vice president.
A few months before the elections, Hugo Chavez underwent several operations, because. he was diagnosed with cancer. After his re-election, he underwent treatment in Cuba and, in fact, the country was led by a vice president. Chavez realized the seriousness of his position, so in one of his speeches he announced N. Maduro's successor, in case it was necessary to hold early elections.
Chavez died on March 5, 2013 in Venezuela after a long treatment, including in Cuba, from cancer.
Hugo Rafael Chavez Frias was President of Venezuela from 1998 to 2013. Leader of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela. Born July 28, 1954 in the town of Sabaneta in the state of Barinas in the southeast of Venezuela in a large family of a school teacher.
Red beret Comandante
Native American and Negro blood flows in his veins. Chavez's maternal great-grandfather was an active participant civil war 1859-1863. He spoke on the side of the liberals, fought under the leadership of the people's leader Ezequiel Zamora. He became famous for the fact that in 1914 he raised an anti-dictatorial uprising. The stories and legends about these heroic events were passed down from generation to generation and had a strong influence on the formation of the future leader of the Bolivarian revolution.
Immediately after graduation, Hugo Chavez entered a military school. There, the cadets created the COMACATE organization (an abbreviation of the first two letters of the military ranks: commandante, major, captain, teniente, which means lieutenant). Hugo Chavez became the leader of the organization. Over time, COMACATE transformed into the Revolutionary Bolivarian Movement. Chavez served in the airborne units, and the red beret of the paratrooper subsequently became an integral part of his image of the commandant.
In February 1992, Lieutenant Colonel Chávez led a coup d'état against Venezuelan President Carlos Andrés Pérez, who was unpopular due to high levels of corruption and government spending cuts. The conspiracy involved 133 officers and almost a thousand soldiers, not counting many civilians. As a result of the fighting, according to official figures, 17 soldiers were killed, more than 50 military and civilians were injured.
The authorities stopped the coup attempt. To avoid further bloodshed, Hugo Chavez surrendered to the authorities, called on his supporters to lay down their arms and took full responsibility for the preparation and organization of this operation.
At the time of the arrest, which was broadcast live, Lieutenant Colonel Chavez said that he and his comrades were laying down their arms, but their struggle would continue. Chavez and a number of his supporters ended up in jail.
Chavez spent two years in prison, and in 1994 he was released under an amnesty. He organized his supporters into the Fifth Republic Movement and moved from armed struggle to legal political activity.
Friends and Enemies of President Chavez
Immediately after the liberation, Hugo Chavez created the Movement V Republic. In December 1994, Chavez first visited Cuba, with whose leader Fidel Castro he has a close friendship.
Chavez participated in the 1998 presidential campaign under the slogan of fighting corruption and won a landslide victory in the general elections held in Venezuela on December 6, gaining 56.5% of the vote. Three months later, elections were held for the unicameral assembly. They ended in triumph for Chavez's supporters.
The government has established tight control over the state oil company Petroleos de Venezuela, whose profits were directed to the needs of society: the construction of hospitals and schools, the fight against illiteracy, the implementation of agrarian reform and other social programs. All this contributed to the growing popularity of the new leader among the poor majority. Based on such support, Chavez began to nationalize enterprises in various industries.
In 1999, a new constitution was adopted in Venezuela, and on July 30, 2000, new general elections were held, in which Hugo Chavez won with 60% of the vote.
In a short time, Venezuela has become an authoritative regional leader. Sharp criticism of the policies of the US, the IMF and the WTO, attempts to rally other Latin American countries on the basis of anti-Americanism, led to a sharp confrontation between Venezuela and the US. In addition, during 2001, the confrontation between President Chavez and his opponents from among the old elites grew, which resulted in open confrontation. Opponents of the President initiated a national strike.
In April 2002, armed clashes took place in Caracas between opponents and supporters of Chavez. More than 60 people died then. The putschists arrested President Chavez and took him to an unknown destination.
The rebels nominated the president of the Association of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, Pedro Carmona, to the post of interim president. The US welcomed the coup.
However, most of the army remained loyal to the president, moreover, many hundreds of thousands of his supporters took to the streets, who were mobilized by the "Bolivarian committees" (mainly in the poor quarters of cities).
Carmona refused to lead the country. The rebels, fearing punishment, brought Chavez, who had been arrested by them, to the presidential palace. The coup attempt failed.
Hugo Chavez returned to power, his main opponents were arrested. Hugo Chavez's re-entry ceremony, which took place at the presidential palace in Caracas, was televised.
A new attempt to overthrow Chavez was made by his opponents in 2004. Then, at the request of the right-wing opposition, a referendum was held on the early recall of Chavez from the presidency. 59.10% of voters who came to the polls voted against the recall, and Hugo Chavez remained in office.
In 2006, Chavez, in opposition to the American "axis of evil", proposed the creation of an "axis of good": a union of Venezuela, Cuba and Bolivia. These states are brought together not only by the leftist anti-imperialist and anti-American rhetoric of their leaders, but also by the real mutual benefit from cooperation.
In early December 2006, Chavez was re-elected to the presidency of Venezuela, having received a mandate from the people for the period from 2007 to 2013.
In January 2007, the Venezuelan Parliament voted unanimously for a law granting Chávez emergency legislative powers for a year and a half. The president, in turn, promised to build "socialism of the 21st century" in Venezuela.
In 2008, Chávez headed a new political organization, the United Socialist Party of Venezuela, created by combining the Movement of the V Republic and other parties supporting the "Bolivarian movement towards socialism."
Program "Hello, President!" and other talents of the Comandante
One of the brightest politicians of our time, Hugo Chavez is indeed a multifaceted personality. He writes poems and stories, enjoys painting. At the end of 2007, Chavez published a collection of songs, which included popular Venezuelan and Mexican songs, performed personally by the president in a special television and radio broadcast. And in 2008, he recorded a composition for the musical collection of revolutionary songs Musica Para la Batalla ("Music for the fight").
They say he quotes from memory the Bible, the works of Simon Bolivar, is fond of Zen Buddhism. In addition, even as a child, Chavez dreamed of becoming a professional baseball player and kept this passion until the disease knocked him down.
In addition, with great interest, not only in Venezuela, but also in many other countries, they followed the TV program "Hello, President!". It was personally hosted by Hugo Chavez, first on the radio and then on television. The first broadcast was released on May 23, 1999.
The leader of the country explained his desire to try himself as a leader by the desire to convey the truth about what is happening in the country and beyond its borders to every Venezuelan. On the air, Chavez asked questions to his ministers, talked with local residents, conducted teleconferences with other regions, explained government policy, and made historical digressions. He conducted the program easily, naturally, joked a lot and even sang.
On February 15, 2007, the president began to communicate with his people every evening on weekdays, for an hour and a half. Sometimes the broadcasts of programs lasted several hours: five or even eight. So, for example, without interruption, for 8 hours and 6 minutes.
Hugo Chavez has been married twice. He divorced his first wife, Nancy Colmenares, in 1992. His second wife was the journalist Marisabel Rodriguez Oropesa. He divorced her in 2002. He has five children from two marriages. Four - from the first marriage (Rosa Virginia, Maria Gabriela, Hugo Rafael and Raul Alfonso), as well as daughter Rosines - from the second marriage.
Hugo Chavez disease
On July 1, 2011, Hugo Chávez returned to Venezuela after receiving treatment in Cuba and reported that he had undergone two surgeries. oncological disease. By October 2011 alone, the President of Venezuela had undergone four courses of chemotherapy.
In October 2011, the Mexican press published an interview with the attending physician Salvador Navarrete (who had fled the country), who claimed that Chavez had a severe oncological disease that leaves no chance for a successful outcome. According to the forecasts of a medical expert, the Venezuelan leader has about two years left to live.
During all this time, doctors are doing everything possible to save Hugo Chavez, who became a legendary figure during his lifetime. The fighter-comandante does not give up. At the end of February 2012, after another operation, he was even straight from Havana.
Latest ( as of February 28, 2013) information about the state of Hugo Chavez is very contradictory. Since the end of 2012, for more than two months, he has been undergoing treatment for cancer in Cuba, but in mid-February he returned to Venezuela.
On February 28, some media (with reference to the former Ambassador of Panama to the Organization of American States Guillermo Coches) reported that the Venezuelan authorities had the opportunity to disconnect Hugo Chavez from forced life support systems. Chavez, according to Coches, since December 30, 2012. However, his supporters claim that Chavez.
Election 2012: Comandante's successor
On October 7, 2012, presidential elections were held in Venezuela. A total of seven candidates were registered. However, according to experts, only Hugo Chavez and the single opposition candidate Enrique Capriles had real chances to win.
On October 10, 2012, the National Electoral Council of Venezuela officially held presidential elections - 55.26% of voters (8 million) voted for it. His rival won 44.13% of the vote.
However, in early December 2012, Chavez needed another operation. He went to Cuba, and before that. They became the Vice President and the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
At the same time, Hugo Chavez signed a petition addressed to the National Assembly with a request to allow him to be absent from the country for a period of more than five days and said: “Let this sound harsh, but I want to say it and I must say it. that will put me out of action, Nicolas Maduro must complete this presidential term."
March 5, 2013 at 4:25 pm (local time), when it was about 2 am on March 6 in Moscow, Venezuelan leadership.
Based on materials from Vestey.Ru, other media and the free encyclopedia "Wikipedia"
Hugo Rafael Chavez Frias was born on July 28, 1954 in Sabaneta, Venezuela, in a family of teachers. Before becoming known for his reform attempts and hard-liners as President of Venezuela (1999-2013).
Chávez attended the Venezuelan Military Academy, from which he graduated in 1975 with a degree in military arts and science. Then he went to serve in the airborne troops.
In 1992, Chávez, along with other disaffected military personnel, attempted to overthrow the rule of Carlos Andrés Pérez. The coup attempt failed, and Chavez subsequently spent two years in prison, but was eventually pardoned. After his release, he created the Fifth Republic Movement, a revolutionary political party. Chavez ran for president in 1998 campaigning against government corruption and promising economic reforms.
President of Venezuela
After coming to power in 1999, Chávez decided to change the Venezuelan constitution, amending the powers of Congress and the judiciary. As part of the new constitution, the country's name was changed to "Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela".
As president, Chavez faced challenges both at home and abroad. His attempts to increase his influence with the state oil company in 2002 sparked controversy and led to protests, which caused the military leaders to temporarily remove him from power in 2002. The protests continued after his return to power, as a result, a referendum was held, where it was decided whether to keep Chavez in office. In August 2004, a vote was taken in a referendum and a majority vote decided to keep him as president.
Hostile relations with the US
Throughout his reign, Chavez was known as a straightforward and categorical person, he did not hold back much when expressing his opinion or criticism. He insulted oil executives, church officials and other world leaders, and was especially hostile to the US government, which he believed was involved in the failed 2002 coup. Chavez was against the war in Iraq, saying that the United States, having launched military operations, is abusing its powers. He also called President George Walker Bush a vile imperialist.
Relations between the US and Venezuela have been strained for some time. Since taking office, Chavez has been selling oil to Cuba - a long-time US adversary - and has spoken out against US plans to end drug trafficking in Colombia. He also helped partisan troops in neighboring countries. In addition, during his reign, Chavez threatened the United States with a halt in oil supplies if there was another attempt to remove him from power. However, he donated household fuel to help those affected by Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita, which destroyed many fuel processing facilities.
The international cooperation
Regardless of Venezuela's relationship with the US, when Chavez was president, he effectively used his country's oil resources to build relationships with other countries, including China and Angola. In 2006, he helped create the Bolivarian Alliance for America, a socialist free foreign trade organization united by Fidel Castro, President of Cuba, and Evo Moralis, President of Bolivia. Chavez was also an active member of the Non-Aligned Movement, which included more than 100 countries, including Cuba, Iran and a number of African countries.
Ill health and death
Chavez was diagnosed with cancer in June 2011 after surgery to remove a pelvic abscess, and from 2011 to early 2012 he underwent three surgeries to remove cancerous tumors.
Prior to his third operation, in February 2012, Chávez acknowledged the severity of his condition and that he might no longer be able to continue serving the country as president, and he subsequently named Venezuelan Vice President Nicolás Maduro as his successor. Due to deteriorating health, Chavez was not allowed to attend the official inauguration ceremony for a fourth term in January 2013.
After his years of battle with cancer, Hugo Chavez died in Venezuela on March 5, 2013 at the age of 58. He is survived by his wife, Maria Isabel Rodriguez, and five children: Rosines, Maria Gabriella, Rosa Virginia, Raul Alfonso and Hugo Rafael. Two days after Chávez's death, Vice President Maduro announced that Chávez's body would be embalmed and in a glass tomb permanently displayed in a museum in Caracas currently under construction. It is located near the palace where Chávez ruled for more than a decade and was named el Museo Histórico Militar de Caracas (Russian Museum of the Revolution in Caracas).
Quotes
“The left is back, and that is the only way we have to go to get out of the shame that the conservatives have drowned us in. Socialism creates and capitalism destroys.”
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Hugo Chavez is the current President of Venezuela. A socialist and anti-globalist, known as an ardent opponent of US foreign policy actions.
Full name Hugo Rafael Chavez Frias was born in the city of Sabaten in Venezuela on July 28, 1954. Both parents are school teachers. From childhood, Chavez became interested in baseball, he has not given up this hobby until today. IN school years Hugo Chavez was not only a participant, but also a multiple winner of art exhibitions.
short biography Hugo Chavez: young years
The official biography is full of white spots and ambiguities. It is still not known exactly where he studied. Some say that Chavez graduated from a military academy, others say with confidence that he was a student at the university in Caracas. According to some sources, in 1982 he became the head of SOMASATE (revolutionary organization), according to others - it was much earlier. Later, the organization in which there were associates in the military academy and Hugo Chavez himself became known as the Bolivarian movement.
One of the key moments in the life of the president was the 1992 coup. He was the leader of this military action. The uprising was unsuccessful, the Peres regime remained in power. Many revolutionaries were seriously injured, 18 of them died. Hugo Chavez was arrested, but after 2 years he was released under an amnesty.
His political career began in 1994 after the pardon of Rafael Calder. Chavez wasted no time and created his own movement. In the same year I was in Cuba. In those days, Norberto Seresole had a great influence on the current president and it was he who convinced him to follow the ideology of the Libyan leader Gaddafi. Hugo Chavez announced his own revolutionary convictions for the first time at the University of Havana. All principles have been successfully implemented into reality. In November 2004, the work was crowned with success and Chavez was awarded the Muammar Gaddafi International Prize for his significant contribution to the protection of human rights.
As President of the Republic, Chavez is famous for being the first person to meet Saddam Hussein after the conflict in Kuwait in 1990.
1998 was marked by victory in the presidential and parliamentary elections at the same time. Parliamentary elections have confirmed that Hugo Chavez has established himself as a politician. He was supported by the coalition, the Fifth Republic Movement, as well as various left-wing parties of the MAS, "Motherland for All". The opponent was the Communist Party of Venezuela, it took 76 out of 189 seats in parliament and, respectively, 17 out of 48 in the Senate. In percentage terms, this amounted to 34%.
The program was of a general nature. First of all, the promises concerned constitutional reform, then the program described the fight against corruption, and its leaders promised to end it. The abuses of the political elite must also come to an end. A program of social justice and a democratic society has been developed. The masses were promised participation in government. The main trump card of the DPR was the "Bolivarian committees", they were created for the most part in poor urban areas.
Here is a brief biographical
1998 - Chavez first claimed the presidency
On April 11, 2002, Chavez lost power due to a coup d'état, but it was not for long, and three days later the presidency returned to its sovereign master
July 2006 - Chavez made his first visit to Russia, where he settled some political issues with the leader Russian Federation Vladimir Putin
On September 10, 2009, during another official visit to Russia, Chavez announced that he, on behalf of the government of Venezuela, recognizes the full political independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia
February 2010 - Chavez took quite bold measures. An "electrical crisis" was declared. At this time, the country experienced problems associated with interruptions in the supply of electricity. The population was ordered to reduce electricity consumption, the same requirements were prescribed for enterprises. In case of disobedience to the presidential decree, sanctions were applied with an increase in tariffs.
January 2011 - Chavez announced the overcoming of the crisis. However, only the severity of the problem was removed, but the problem itself was still relevant. The media repeatedly reported interruptions.
June 2011 - Chavez begins to have health problems. He underwent surgery for the first time in one of the Cuban clinics.
On June 30 of the same year, he made an official statement regarding this issue, said that during the operation he was removed from a cancerous tumor.
February 2012 showed that the 2011 operation was not enough and the doctors had to perform another operation to remove another tumor.
May 31, 2012 - a big resonance in the press. Hugo Chavez gave a decent house as an incentive prize to the three millionth subscriber of the Twitter page
June 25 - Venezuela decided to protest the impeachment of President Fernando Lugo and recalled its ambassador from Paraguay. Hugo Chavez personally spoke about this. He said that neither he nor his country would recognize the new government and that Fernando Lugo would remain president for them.
July 10 - a new election campaign of Hugo Chavez began, he began to travel with his program to the provinces. At the same time, he claims to be completely cured of cancer.
October 11, 2012 - With the light hand of Chavez, Nicolas Maduro, who is also the former Minister of Foreign Affairs, becomes Vice President of the country
December 10, 2012 - again flies to Cuba for another operation. Cancer does not leave the leader alone
December 13, 2012 - officially reported that the state of health has improved and stabilized
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