In speech after speech, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez stares at the television camera and unleashes a hail of colorful insults against his opponents.
“Oligarchs,” “fascists,” “mafia bosses” and “coup mongers” are among his favorite taunts.
But critics complain Chavez has no right to use public airwaves to ridicule foes and campaign for allies, in essence making state media a propaganda machine that puts opponents at a disadvantage ahead of Nov. 23 state and local elections.
“He doesn’t respect his political adversaries, and he doesn’t respect the law,” opposition leader Gerardo Blyde said on Sunday, noting that Venezuelan law prohibits the use of public resources for political activities.
Blyde, who is running for mayor of Baruta, one of Caracas’ five boroughs, is joining scores of other opposition candidates in demanding that Venezuelan election officials bar Chavez from using presidential events to campaign.
Chavez — who was accused of unfairly using state media to further his own re-election in 2006 — has never been shy about insulting his critics, but the frequency and tone of his comments have recently heated up. He now uses the term “little Yankees” almost daily, trying to tar opponents as US-loving traitors.
And his message travels: Venezuelan law requires all network TV and radio stations to interrupt regular programming to broadcast the president’s speeches whenever he so chooses.
Venezuelan Information Minister Andres Izarra denies that pro-Chavez candidates benefit unfairly from that publicity. But he readily admits the government is waging “a media war” against privately owned television and radio stations and newspapers that heavily favor the opposition.
Facing a “hostile and manipulative private press, it’s our duty to take advantage of the public media” to spread Chavez’s message, Izarra said.
The number of major state-owned or state-friendly television channels has grown from one to six since Chavez took office in 1999.
They regularly broadcast his party’s events, but air scant or negative coverage of the political opposition.
The number of private TV channels taking a hard line against Chavez has meanwhile shrunk, as the country’s oldest network, RCTV, lost its public broadcasting license last year and two other channels, Venevision and Televen, have curbed criticism.
That has left Globovision as the country’s lone anti-Chavez channel among the top networks.
Chavez meanwhile gives his allies a national stage, hosting many of them on his Sunday television and radio program.
A frequent guest is his brother, Adan Chavez, who is running for governor in their home state of Barinas.
Chavez’s use of state resources to help his supporters goes even farther, some critics suggest, accusing the government of using military trucks and planes to ferry allies to political rallies. The ruling party denies any wrongdoing.
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