Venezuela's opposition met with international observers Wednesday, pleading for help in reversing the denial of a recall referendum against President Hugo Chavez.
Rioting subsided in cities throughout this deeply divided country, which sits atop the Western Hemisphere's largest oil reserves and is the world's No. 5 exporter. Venezuelans are torn between those who say Chavez has become increasingly autocratic and those who say he speaks for the poor.
At least seven people have died and scores have been wounded since demonstrations began last Friday, security officials said.
The violence halted after pleas from international observers and some opposition officials, but leaders warned more unrest is in store if citizens are denied their constitutional right to demand Chavez's ouster. A march was planned in Caracas for yesterday.
Venezuela's opposition appealed to the Organization of American States, the US-based Carter Center and other organizations and countries with an interest in the stability of one of the world's top oil exporters to help reverse Tuesday's ruling.
In Washington, US Assistant Secretary of State Roger Noriega told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Tuesday that Vene-zuela was in crisis because of "Chavez's increasingly antidemocratic actions."
Vice President Jose Vicente Rangel rejected Noriega's remarks as "untrue."
"This is an absolutely and totally democratic country," he said Wednesday.
Chavez was re-elected to a six-year term in 2000. If he loses in a referendum held before mid-August, the midway point for his term, new presidential elections must be held. But if he loses in a vote held after mid-August, Rangel would take over for the rest of his term.
Opponents fear if that happens, Chavez would merely rule behind his right-hand man for the rest of his term.
The opposition handed in more than 3 million signatures in December to demand the recall. About 2.4 million are required for a vote.
But the elections council said Tuesday that only 1.8 million signatures were valid and that another 1.1 million signatures may be authentic -- but only if citizens come forward to confirm they signed.
The council rejected 140,000 signatures outright.
Prospects for a reversal of the council's decision were slim. Council director Jorge Rodriguez said Wednesday that election officials and opposition leaders -- with OAS and Carter Center mediation -- were negotiating a compromise -- but only on details, like how many voting centers to set up for the process and how long it would take.
The OAS and Carter Center boosted opposition spirits Tuesday by disagreeing with the decision to force citizens to sign again. They insisted an electoral solution is the only way out of the crisis. Among the obstacles are the differences among opposition leaders.
Some insist civil disobedience is the only option, arguing Chavez has proven -- by claiming the process is fraudulent and sending troops against protesters -- that he cannot be trusted to respect elections.
Others say street protests are useless, pointing to a botched 2002 coup and a bitter general strike last year that allowed Chavez to consolidate his control over the military and the crucial oil industry.
Moderates -- mostly traditional political parties who reluctantly went along with last year's strikes -- believe they can get at least 600,000 citizens to come forward to obtain the required 2.4 million signatures -- especially if the process is open to international scrutiny.
"Is this possible? Yes it is," opposition columnist Jorge Olavarria wrote in Wednesday's El Nacional newspaper. "It's difficult, it requires organizations, motivation and a desire to win. I think we have all of that."
END OF AN ERA: The vote brings the curtain down on 20 years of socialist rule, which began in 2005 when Evo Morales, an indigenous coca farmer, was elected president A center-right senator and a right-wing former president are to advance to a run-off for Bolivia’s presidency after the first round of elections on Sunday, marking the end of two decades of leftist rule, preliminary official results showed. Bolivian Senator Rodrigo Paz was the surprise front-runner, with 32.15 percent of the vote cast in an election dominated by a deep economic crisis, results published by the electoral commission showed. He was followed by former Bolivian president Jorge “Tuto” Quiroga in second with 26.87 percent, according to results based on 92 percent of votes cast. Millionaire businessman Samuel Doria Medina, who had been tipped
ELECTION DISTRACTION? When attention shifted away from the fight against the militants to politics, losses and setbacks in the battlefield increased, an analyst said Recent clashes in Somalia’s semi-autonomous Jubaland region are alarming experts, exposing cracks in the country’s federal system and creating an opening for militant group al-Shabaab to gain ground. Following years of conflict, Somalia is a loose federation of five semi-autonomous member states — Puntland, Jubaland, Galmudug, Hirshabelle and South West — that maintain often fractious relations with the central government in the capital, Mogadishu. However, ahead of elections next year, Somalia has sought to assert control over its member states, which security analysts said has created gaps for al-Shabaab infiltration. Last week, two Somalian soldiers were killed in clashes between pro-government forces and
Ten cheetah cubs held in captivity since birth and destined for international wildlife trade markets have been rescued in Somaliland, a breakaway region of Somalia. They were all in stable condition despite all of them having been undernourished and limping due to being tied in captivity for months, said Laurie Marker, founder of the Cheetah Conservation Fund, which is caring for the cubs. One eight-month-old cub was unable to walk after been tied up for six months, while a five-month-old was “very malnourished [a bag of bones], with sores all over her body and full of botfly maggots which are under the
BRUSHED OFF: An ambassador to Australia previously said that Beijing does not see a reason to apologize for its naval exercises and military maneuvers in international areas China set off alarm bells in New Zealand when it dispatched powerful warships on unprecedented missions in the South Pacific without explanation, military documents showed. Beijing has spent years expanding its reach in the southern Pacific Ocean, courting island nations with new hospitals, freshly paved roads and generous offers of climate aid. However, these diplomatic efforts have increasingly been accompanied by more overt displays of military power. Three Chinese warships sailed the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand in February, the first time such a task group had been sighted in those waters. “We have never seen vessels with this capability
RSS