Chavez: President for Life
Several times when I’ve referred to Hugo Chavez as a “dictator,” I’ve received indignant emails from Chavez supporters protesting that he was democratically elected and shouldn’t be labeled that way.
Well, I hope the Venezuelans who voted for Chavez enjoyed that election, because it’s the last one they’ll have for a long time: Hugo Chavez to make himself president for life.
The Venezuelan strongman Hugo Chavez has anointed himself president for life by proposing sweeping changes to the country’s constitution.
Setting out his plans for completing his socialist revolution in the oil-rich Latin American nation, he proposing radical constitutional reform which has at its centre indefinite re-election for himself.
In a rambling televised speech reminiscent of his close ally and friend Fidel Castro, Mr Chavez told the national assembly of 33 changes he plans to make to the constitution he introduced in 1999 which will cement his grip on power.