February 22, 2012

Chavez health scare casts shadow on reelection campaign

Just a few years ago, Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez used to taunt the opposition by vowing to stay in power until 2031. But now that the 57-year-old leader is facing another cancer scare, some analysts question his ability to hold onto the presidency through the current election cycle.

Facing a tight reelection against a unified opposition, Chávez had been stepping up his public appearances and relying on his legendary charisma to secure an additional six-year term.

Despite being in power for 13 years, he still enjoys approval ratings of about 50 percent. But the announcement Tuesday that he will be returning to Cuba to have a lesion removed, and that it’s likely cancerous, changes the equation.

While Chávez remains popular, his allies and ministers are often blamed for the nation’s problems, wrote Daniel Kerner, a Latin America analyst with New York-based Eurasia Group. And that makes Chávez’s illness — even if he is healthy enough to campaign — a serious liability.

“A large share of voters would probably be reluctant to elect a president that may not be around to fulfill his mandate, especially given how unpopular figures around Chávez are,” Kerner wrote.

Read more here.

February 15, 2012

Chavez to Venezuela opposition: don't poach my ideas, dress up like me for carnival

Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez unloaded on the opposition Wednesday, accusing them of lacking proposals and resorting to mimicry of his administration to gin up their popularity ahead of October’s presidential race. 

His comments, transmitted by the Ministry of Communications, come as government supporters and officials are ramping up their attacks on a newly revitalized opposition. 

“What are your ideas bourgeoisie?” Chávez asked during a televised meeting of the National Assembly. “Be honest bourgeoisie! Don’t come out with stories now to camouflage your anti-nationalist, enemy-of-the-people, anti-Bolivarian message!”

The outburst comes after Henrique Capriles Radonski, the governor of Miranda state, swept an opposition primary on Sunday and became Chávez’s chief rival for the presidency.

Capriles, 39, saw his popularity surge as he vowed to bring Venezuelans back together and reduce ideological tensions. In Wednesday’s speech, Chávez said that former Dictator Juan Vicente Gómez also talked of unity.

The coalition of opposition forces said more than 3 million of Venezuela's 18 million registered voters cast a ballot in Sunday’s open primary. Officials have accused the opposition of exaggerating the figures. On Tuesday, the Supreme Court Tuesday said voter records must be handed over, but the coalition said it is going ahead with plans to destroy the documents to protect voters from government retaliation.

Chávez, 57, has been in power for 13-years and his mix of nationalism and programs for the poor have given him strong approval ratings.

Capriles has told Chávez supporters that they have nothing to fear from his presidency and that he would continue, and even expand, some government programs – as long as they are effective. 
On Wednesday, Chávez accused the opposition of trying to piggyback on his ideas.

“Do you want to look like Chávez bourgeoisie? You should take advantage of Carnival and dress up like a little Chávez,” he said. 

The comments come as state-run television has been stepping up attacks. The La Hojilla talk show, which runs on state television, claims it has police documents that show Capriles was caught int a homosexual act in 2000. The show has also led the charges that the coalition resorted to fraud to drum up voter figures.

February 10, 2012

Colombia seizes explosive mattresses destined for the FARC

Colombia's FARC guerrillas have been busted transporting explosive mattresses - well, really, explosives in mattresses.

In a statement, the police said they had recently stopped two such shipments. 

In one set of six mattresses they found 206 packages of pentolite, almost 800 meters of detonating cord, and a PKT machine gun.

In another mattress shipment, they found 177 kilos worth of explosives. This is the first time the police have detected Colombia's illegal groups making transfers inside "comfortable mattresses for sale in specialized stores." Read the full press release - with additional pictures - here. 

The seizure comes as the FARC is accused of stepping up its bombing campaign amid increased military presence along drug routes.

Colombia has to deal with touchy guests at Summit of the Americas

Colombia will have to rely on some crafty diplomacy if it hopes to overcome the brewing US-Ecuador standoff at the Summit of the Americas. During a recent trip to Venezuela, Ecuador President Rafael Correa asked the eight-members of the ALBA bloc of countries to boycott the Summit of the Americas (which will be held in Cartagena in April) if Cuba was not invited. 

Colombia's foreign ministry said it would begin negotiations to make sure the island nation makes it past the velvet ropes. But it's not clear that the United States is going to budge. During a State Department briefing on Tuesday, the spokesman said the following: "Our view on the posture of Cuba has not changed with regard to the Summit of the Americas and we don’t think that the posture of the Summit nations should change either."

In theory, the meeting is only open to active members of the OAS. You may recall that the body dropped its 47 year ban on Cuba in 2009, but the country decided not to pursue membership.

Washington has been edged out of some of the more important pan-American bodies. (The Community of Latin American and Caribbean Nations, in particular.) 

This Summit would give Obama a rare opportunity for Washington to rub shoulders with all the regional leaders. And who doesn't want to go to Cartagena?

January 31, 2012

Iran says "Hola" with new Spanish-language TV station

Iran’s charm offensive in Latin America now has its own channel.

On Tuesday, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad officially launched HispanTV, a Spanish-language satellite TV network that is available throughout the region.

Featuring an eclectic mix of movies, news and cultural programs, Ahmadinejad said the station would help end the West’s “hegemony” of the airwaves.

“Today, a selfish and bullying minority is paving the ground for its domination over the nations by means of the media,’’ Ahmadinejad said, according to Iran’s Fars News Agency.

Read the full story here. Start watching HispanTV here. 

January 27, 2012

Is Medellin's new escalator the latest shakedown target?

In late December, Medellin made international news when it cranked up a massive public escalator that benefits tens of thousands of people who live in the cliff-hugging Comuna 13 neighborhood. The daily walk up to La 13 is the equivalent of hiking up 23 floors, according to El Espectador. 

Now, some in the community are complaining that local gangs are muscling in on the project and charging up to 5,000 pesos (about $2.50) to use the escalator. According to El Tiempo, the same gangs that shakedown bus drivers are the ones behind the escalator scam.

Authorities say they are investigating and have stepped up security along the escalator. (Pic courtesy Medellin mayor's office.)

January 23, 2012

Venezuela: Chavez says consulate closure not about hamstringing primaries

The rumble over Venezuela's consulate in Miami continues. On Sunday, President Hugo Chavez insisted that his decision to close the office had to do with the safety of the staff there, and not any desire to hamstring the Feb. 12 opposition primaries. 

If you're unfamiliar with the spat, check out this story. 

"Now that we closed the consulate because of threats to our personnel, they accuse me of trying to sabotage the primary elections and that it's an abuse of the Venezuelans that live in Miami," he said during his Sunday television show. "Now they say we're the ones being abusive."

South Florida exiles are concerned they will have nowhere to cast their ballots as the coalition of opposition groups vote for a single candidate to face-off against Chavez in October. 

Chavez has said that Venezuelan exile groups were threatening the staff - a charge those groups deny. 

But during a US Department of State briefing last week, the spokesmen did acknowledge there had been...something.

Here's the Jan 17 exchange with Deputy Department Spokesman Mark C. Toner

MR. TONER: Well, I mean, obviously we take the security of all foreign missions very, very seriously. This is something, as you’re well aware, that we talk about in terms of other governments around the world, that we ask – urge them to uphold their obligations under the Vienna Conventions. We hold ourselves, obviously, to those same standards. If a Venezuelan official in the U.S. did receive any threats, those threats should be reported to the Department of State’s Bureau of Diplomatic Security, who also works with relevant law enforcement agencies to take appropriate steps to address them.

Obviously, the --

QUESTION: Have you received any reports of threats?

MR. TONER: Well, I’m – let me finish, Kirit.

QUESTION: Go ahead.

MR. TONER: The decision on how to manage its consulates and how to provide consular services to Venezuelan citizens is ultimately that of the Venezuelan Government. Now specifically to Kirit’s questions, we did previously assist the Venezuelan Consulate in Miami to address some minor security concerns in December, but since then we’ve not received any reports of any new threats against the consulate or its employees, nor any additional requests for security support.

QUESTION: Can you describe what those threats --

MR. TONER: I can’t. I can’t get into the details.

QUESTION: But you described them as minor. I mean, what is minor?

QUESTION: (Off-mike.)

MR. TONER: Not significant.

QUESTION: Thank you.

Hmmm.

December 30, 2011

Inside South America a year in pics: Obama's visit to Chile

Inside South America is on vacation. But over the holidays I'll be posting some of my favorite photos from the year.

I took these pics during Obama's visit to Chile in March. While he was generally well-received, the escalating conflict in Libya and the US's role in the rise of PInochet fueled protests. Below, members of Chile's communist party carry a banner depicting President Pinera as Obama's lapdog. 

The other two pics, were simply amusing things I saw after visiting the country's very impressive human rights museum.

December 28, 2011

Inside South America a year in pics: Colombian street performers

Inside South America is on vacation. But over the holidays I'll be posting some of my favorite photos from the year.

Colombians are renowned in the region for being go-getters, and that's definitely on display on most streets. In downtown Bogota, dozens of street performers elbow for space on busy sidewalks hoping to make a few pesos. Below are a few that caught my eye: 1) man with his head in a cage. 2) the human Transformer. 3) a traditional dancer gets patted down on his way into an event. 

December 26, 2011

Inside South America a year in pics: Venezuela street scenes

Inside South America is on vacation. But over the holidays, I'll be posting some of my favorite photos from the year.

These are some shots I took during several trips to Venezuela.

1) A pic of a Che Guevara lookalike and ardent Chavez supporter who I've spotted at several of the president's rallies.

2) Images of Chavez are everywhere, including this no-smoking sign hanging in a government office.

3) This woman was dusting off a statue of Latin American Liberator Simon Bolivar as part of a street-art festival. The broom seller stumbled across the scene and seemed pretty confused by what was going on. 

4) A kid in Maracaibo uses one of the free Canaima laptops the government is doling out.