Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez defended his plans on Thursday to rewrite dozens of laws by decree, saying his country had a vibrant democracy and that the world's real "tyranny" was led by US President George W. Bush.
Signing a newly approved congressional measure that grants him broad lawmaking powers, Chavez said it would allow for changes to lead the country toward socialism but said it posed no threat to democracy or individual freedoms.
"We are increasing power, but it's the power of the nation, national power. It's not anyone's personal power," Chavez said at a news conference.
Chavez lashed out at Bush for saying on Wednesday -- just as congress approved the special powers -- that he was concerned about an "undermining of democratic institutions" in Venezuela.
Condemning the war in Iraq, Chavez said that Bush and John Negroponte, a former director of national intelligence who was designated for the No. 2 position in the US State Department, should be tried for "war crimes" committed by the US military across the globe.
"The two of them are criminals. They should be tried and thrown in prison for the rest of their days," Chavez said, calling Bush "the devil himself" and saying he was "more dangerous than a monkey with a razor blade."
"I pray to God for the people of the United States. I hope they're capable of liberating themselves from the tyranny they have," he said.
"Who would be the greater fascist -- Hitler or Bush? They might end up in a draw," he said.
Relations between Caracas and Washington have been perpetually tense in recent months even though the US remains the leading buyer of Venezuelan oil.
Chavez's opponents at home have strongly criticized the "enabling law" approved on Wednesday by the entirely pro-Chavez National Assembly, calling it a lurch toward authoritarianism.
The measure gives Chavez, who is beginning a new six-year term, the power to pass dozens of laws by decree during the next 18 months in areas from the economy to the judicial system.
Opposition leader Manuel Rosales, who lost to Chavez in December's presidential vote, urged his followers to organize against the upcoming reforms.
"We either get to work or we will witness the coronation of Hugo the First, the first king Venezuelan society will have," Rosales said.
Chavez said that under the Constitution, his opponents had the right to petition for a referendum to annul any law he enacted by decree.
Among his next moves, Chavez plans to nationalize the country's leading telephone company and the electricity sector.
Kehinde Sanni spends his days smoothing out dents and repainting scratched bumpers in a modest autobody shop in Lagos. He has never left Nigeria, yet he speaks glowingly of Burkina Faso military leader Ibrahim Traore. “Nigeria needs someone like Ibrahim Traore of Burkina Faso. He is doing well for his country,” Sanni said. His admiration is shaped by a steady stream of viral videos, memes and social media posts — many misleading or outright false — portraying Traore as a fearless reformer who defied Western powers and reclaimed his country’s dignity. The Burkinabe strongman swept into power following a coup in September 2022
‘FRAGMENTING’: British politics have for a long time been dominated by the Labor Party and the Tories, but polls suggest that Reform now poses a significant challenge Hard-right upstarts Reform UK snatched a parliamentary seat from British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Labor Party yesterday in local elections that dealt a blow to the UK’s two establishment parties. Reform, led by anti-immigrant firebrand Nigel Farage, won the by-election in Runcorn and Helsby in northwest England by just six votes, as it picked up gains in other localities, including one mayoralty. The group’s strong showing continues momentum it built up at last year’s general election and appears to confirm a trend that the UK is entering an era of multi-party politics. “For the movement, for the party it’s a very, very big
ENTERTAINMENT: Rio officials have a history of organizing massive concerts on Copacabana Beach, with Madonna’s show drawing about 1.6 million fans last year Lady Gaga on Saturday night gave a free concert in front of 2 million fans who poured onto Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro for the biggest show of her career. “Tonight, we’re making history... Thank you for making history with me,” Lady Gaga told a screaming crowd. The Mother Monster, as she is known, started the show at about 10:10pm local time with her 2011 song Bloody Mary. Cries of joy rose from the tightly packed fans who sang and danced shoulder-to-shoulder on the vast stretch of sand. Concert organizers said 2.1 million people attended the show. Lady Gaga
SUPPORT: The Australian prime minister promised to back Kyiv against Russia’s invasion, saying: ‘That’s my government’s position. It was yesterday. It still is’ Left-leaning Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese yesterday basked in his landslide election win, promising a “disciplined, orderly” government to confront cost-of-living pain and tariff turmoil. People clapped as the 62-year-old and his fiancee, Jodie Haydon, who visited his old inner Sydney haunt, Cafe Italia, surrounded by a crowd of jostling photographers and journalists. Albanese’s Labor Party is on course to win at least 83 seats in the 150-member parliament, partial results showed. Opposition leader Peter Dutton’s conservative Liberal-National coalition had just 38 seats, and other parties 12. Another 17 seats were still in doubt. “We will be a disciplined, orderly
RSS