Political Coercion

Well, it should be pretty apparent exactly how (T)Hugo Chavez plans to win the upcoming presidential election in Venezuela.

By coercion.

CARACAS, Venezuela - Opponents of President Hugo Chavez released a video Thursday showing Venezuela's oil minister urging state oil company workers to support Chavez's re-election bid. The opposition said the comments were political coercion.

During the 14-minute video, the minister Rafael Ramirez said the 40,000-member work force at Petroleos de Venezuela SA, or PDVSA, firmly stands behind Chavez ahead of the Dec. 3 vote. His comments were allegedly made during a closed-door meeting at the company's headquarters in the capital Caracas.

"It's a crime, a counterrevolutionary act for any manager here to try to curb the political expression of the workers in favor of President Chavez," Ramirez said in the amateur video. "Whoever doesn't feel comfortable with this orientation, it's necessary that they give up their seat to a Bolivarian."

Chavez calls Venezuela's brand of socialism the Bolivarian Revolution, a reference to the South American independence fighter Simon Bolivar.

In reference to the color of Chavez's ruling party, Ramirez said: "the new PDVSA is red, very red, from top to bottom."

Want to keep your job? Vote Chavez. Seems pretty clear. This seems appropriate:

Other Links to this Post

1. Blue Crab Boulevard » Blog Archive » It’s Official: Support Chavez Or Starve — Saturday, 4 November , 2006 @ 7:21 pm