Venezuela marks coup anniversary

(Angus Reid Global Scan) – Many Venezuelans express satisfaction with the performance of Hugo Chávez, according to a poll by IVAD. 60.2 per cent of respondents rate the president’s performance as excellent or good.

Chávez has been in office since February 1999. In July 2000, he was elected to a six-year term with 59.5 per cent of all cast ballots. In August 2004, Chávez won a referendum on his tenure with 59 per cent of the vote. The special election was called after opposition organizations in Venezuela gathered 2.5 million signatures to force a recall ballot.

In December 2005, Venezuelan voters renewed their National Assembly. The pro-Chávez Fifth Republic Movement (MVR) secured 114 of the 167 seats at stake. Five opposition parties—Democratic Action (AD), the Social Christian Party (Copei), Project Venezuela (Proven), Justice First (PJ) and New Time (UNP)—boycotted the election, which saw a turnout of less than 25 per cent.

In his Apr. 9 radio address, Chávez criticized U.S ambassador William Brownfield for his "acts of provocation" against the country, adding, "You can start packing your bags, because I will throw you out of here." On Apr. 7, Brownfield had to be escorted by the National Guard when he exited a sports venue, after several individuals complained about his presence there and hurled eggs and tomatoes at his vehicle.

The next presidential election is scheduled for Dec. 3. Chávez is eligible for a new term in office.

Polling Data

How would you rate the performance of Hugo Chávez as president?
Excellent 18.4%
Good 41.8%
Average to good 22.9%
Average to bad 5.7%
Bad 5.5%
Terrible 4.6%

Source: Venezuelan Institute for Data Analysis (IVAD)
Methodology: Interviews with 1,200 Venezuelan adults in Caracas and nine other state capitals, conducted from Mar. 14 to Mar. 17, 2006. No margin of error was provided.

http://www.angus-reid.com/polls/index.cfm/fuseaction/viewItem/itemID/11528

Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez has called Dutch Defense Minister a "Washington stooge" for allowing US navy vessels to be deployed to the Antilles. The remarks triggered a minor spat between Venezuela and the Netherlands, as well as highlighting the strained relationship between Caracas and Washington.

Holland and the Caribbean Sea are linked by their colonial past. And it's a past which continues to spawn political conflict even today. With animosity between Venezuela's left-wing Chavez government and the United States of President George W. Bush high, the Venezualan president is accusing the Netherlands of allowing the US to construct military bases on the Antilles islands of Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao -- which are formally part of the Netherlands and separated from the Venezuelan coast by only 40 kilometers of ocean. Speaking in "Aló Presidente," the weekly television program he uses to addresses the nation, Chavez suggested the US may want to use the Antilles Islands to invade Venezuela.

Chavez has been claiming for some time that the Bush Administration is planning an invasion of Venezuela "We have detected with intelligence reports plans of a supposed invasion," Chavez said in a BBC interview last October, calling the Bush administration "an imperialist government."

Speaking on "Aló Presidente" last week, Chavez accused Dutch Defense Minister Henk Kamp of having transformed himself into a "Washington stooge." In fact, the Netherlands are hosting an annual international military manoeuvre on the three islands, the "Joint Caribbean Lion 2006," at the end of May. The manoeuvre involves the deployment of roughly 4,000 soldiers and the US Navy is deploying a number of warships, including the USS George Washington.

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CARACAS (AFX) - Venezuela's state oil giant PDVSA has agreed to deliver two mln barrels of crude oil a month to India as part of a government policy to diversify its oil trade, media reported.

The agreement between the government of India and the state company follows the delivery of one mln barrels of oil on Feb 1 and 1.3 mln on April 5, PDVSA said according to newspaper reports.

The deal, which will allow the distribution of excess production in the east of the country, follows a visit to India by President Hugo Chavez last year.

The accord is the latest in which Chavez has sought to reduce the country's dependence on oil exports to the US by securing other export markets.

Venezuela, the only Latin American member of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, produces some 3.2 mln barrels of oil a day under a quota set by the cartel, of which 1.5 mln is sold to the US.

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