Venezuela: Signatures invalid, so probably no referendum this year

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"The signatures are not valid from any viewpoint because they were collected in February. The opposition did not want them checked, which is suspicious. And we have evidence that electronic bank signatures have been transferred to unofficial lists,"
Chavez said at a Buenos Aires news conference, at which he also commented on his Argentine visit.

He said that the only legal requirement complied with by the opposition Democratic Coordinator was to submit the signatures when he had served three years in office.

The Bolivarian Constitution provides for a referendum to recall the six-year presidential mandate when a president is halfway through his term, which in Chavez's case occurred on Aug. 19.

Chavez said that the opposition also did not meet other constitutional requirements such as submitting a number of signatures equivalent to 20 percent of the registered voters, allowing the electoral council to control the signature collection process and officially registering the signatures.

http://www.falkland-malvinas.com/Detalle.asp?NUM=2517

than US citizens....I have to stop saying American, because there are MANY america's but only one US....

anti-Chavez people are acting like there's a popular anti-Chavez sentiment, but they had to keep the timing of their signature submission and their "rally" a big secret (according to yesterday's AP report which was in the LA Times) because they were obviously afraid of a BIGGER pro-Chavez counter-rally.

continues to cast its lot with these clowns rather than
work with Chavez, who wants nothing more than to sell us
all the oil he can pump.

Is one helluva fella. He is, and will remain, master of the situation in Venezuela.

to see the documentary "Chavez: Inside the Coup," do it. The film's being rebroadcast on CBC Newsworld Sunday, Sept 28. It made me weep with rage and joy, and it's rare in today's world to feel those emotions in that sequence.

http://www.cbc.ca/passionateeyesunday/feature_130403.html

http://www.chavezthefilm.com/html/home.htm

Viva Chavez!

I caught it at the SxSW film festival here in Austin. What great timing these film makers had. They happened to be in Venezuela at the time of the coup. What I would like to know more about is how Chavez empowered the poor. It's the poor who have kept him in power. That's what we need. We need to empower the poor and working class like they did in Venezuela, there are millions of more in these ranks than the rich that steal elections.

Que Viva Chavez!!

Sonia

thanks for the alert

Do you know if it's on NewsWorld International (Directtv #366) or is it some other station you are referring to? I don't think I get the CBC. But, I do get directtv and channel 366 is by the CBC but it's called Newsworld International.

help!

I'd like to see that one. It's got to be a better one than I recently saw on PBS that was done by Frontline/World.
http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/venezuela/

CBC Newsworld and CBC Newsworld International have different schedules, and it doesn't look like the international service carries the documentary series "The Passionate Eye," which is broadcasting the Chavez film. Though I hope I'm mistaken for your sake.

If it helps, here are the Newsworld websites:

CBC Newsworld (national service): http://www.cbc.ca/newsworld/
CBC Newsworld International: http://www.nwitv.com/

i thought that might be the case, but was hoping otherwise. Living here in this "free" United States and with our "free media" we are not permitted to see many, many shows.

The BBC seems to show a lot of films or shows that generate some controversy, but we are not permitted to see these films.

Fortunately, I'm able see some every so often on www.worldlinktv.org on the satellite.

But, there are many I read about on the net, that aren't shown in the U.S. at all.

the anti-Chavez coup and recall effort have "made in USA" stamped all over them. As in Iraq, it's all about the oil.

P.S: A friend from grad school who's now a oil-company geologist says that Bu$h* is so dumb he couldn't strike oil in a refinery -- so he's out to steal it from other countries.

Interesting to hear that from a Republican in the oil business.

you mean they can't even get enough signatures to qualify when they buy them?

Otto Reich to the rescue.

What was surprising was that they'd even bother to turn them in, since they had nowhere near enough signatures.

Makes me suspect they intend on continuing to push for a referendum, even without legal backing for it.

it's amazing the power that these business interests have considering that their real support appears very low. Controlling the media is huge. I guess they also control many of the big businesses there, too.

:eyes:

were crossing into Columbia.

Look for U.S. troops to "aid" Columbia in the war against terror.