QUITO (MarketWatch) -- After personal intervention by Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez, Ecuador's government has reversed its position and will send crude oil produced at fields seized from U.S.-based oil company Occidental Petroleum Corp (OXY) to Venezuela for processing. Market Watch... more

Mavis Mendez has seen, in her 95 years, a parade of governments preside over the theft of tens of billions of dollars in oil spoils, much of it flown to Miami, together with the steepest descent into poverty ever known... more

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From alopresidente.gob.ve.... more

“Daniel, I’m going to invite you to come to Venezuela as Nicaragua’s elected president next December 17, so we can honour Liberator Simon Bolivar, you as elected president an I as re-elected president”, said Chavez during a Sunday broadcast in... more

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is the foremost meddler in foreign elections in the Western hemisphere and has been accused of secretly financing candidates in Peru, Nicaragua, Bolivia and Mexico. Investors Business Daily... more

Chávez also blasted Bush over the White House's annual National Security Strategy, released last week, which called the leftist leader a "demagogue awash in oil money" who is "undermining democracy and seeking to destabilise the region. "Mr Danger, George W... more

While the tough-talking former soldier has spent billions of dollars on social development programs that have made him popular among the poor, consumers in 2005 spent roughly $8.3 billion at the nation's shopping malls. Whiskey distributor Diageo (DGE.L: Quote, Profile,... more

Around 500,000 Venezuelans will start a four-month military training programme today to turn them into members of the country's territorial guard. They are the first group of a total of 2m Venezuelan civilians who have so far signed up to... more

Fransisco from the Caracas Chronicles comments on a recent poll of the Venezuelan electorate:[Pollster Alfredo] Keller notes that 32% of voters are what he calls "transaccional chavistas," whose support based on a clientelist quid pro quo: my vote for your... more

Within the following days the Chavez government will be transferring $1 billion to "Community Planning Councils" - bodies of concerned citizens who carry out community development projects on a smaller scale. I am a bit confused on the difference between... more

[Mayor] Barreto said authorities counted 92 abandoned buildings in Caracas and were working "to determine how many can be immediately occupied" as public housing. "The right to property should be democratized," he said. "It cannot be that one person has... more

The idea that Venezuela is a dictatorship is absurd, as anyone who has been there in the last six years can attest to. All you have to do is go there, turn on the TV and listen to denunciations of... more

The Maisanta database includes every single registered voter in the country. I am still trying to get the latest version, the one I obtained is from last year, but the point is the same. It is likely the newest version... more

But he has seldom sent eyebrows so high as when he recently announced plans to start a nuclear energy program with the help of Brazil and Argentina. Coupled with his talk of a spending binge on weapons like rifles, ships... more

Venezuelanalysis.com: The Venezuelan-owned and US-based fuel refiner and distributor CITGO will begin distributing discounted heating oil to poor US communities next week. Rafael Ramirez, Venezuela’s Minister of Energy & Petroleum, made the announcement yesterday, saying that the measure is meant... more

Harnecker explained that “one of the most important missions is Mercal. Mercal is something that is contrary to the logic of capital. It attempts to give food to people at a price not fixed by the law of demand, but... more

To win one election you have to have a political party, to win 10 you have to have a Strong and Big political party, which is not exactly a parallel to grassroots democracy. Chavez invented one political party, MVR, the... more

As we undertake this ideological work of reassessing history, and the ideas that were born in Venezuela and on this continent 200 ago, and as we plunge into history in search of our roots, so we have designed and put... more

BRASILIA, Oct 1 (AFP): A South American trade summit barely got off the ground Friday, with the absence of key leaders and the opposition of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. Leaders of South American nations, minus Argentina, Colombia, Guyana, Uruguay and... more

Under the plan, Venezuela will offer cut-price oil, accept deferred payment and allow borrowers to pay for oil with goods such as sugar, rice, bananas or kidney beans... The Dominican Republic, which is on the verge of bankruptcy partly as... more

BARINAS, Venezuela - Deep in Venezuela's new, cumbersome Social Responsibility Law is an item that requires radio stations to play more - much more - Venezuelan music. The idea, the fiercely nationalist government says, is to promote Venezuelan culture over... more

''Cuba and Venezuela are one single fist,'' Chávez said. ``Latin America will be one single fist.'' Miami Herald... more

From an interview with Hugo Chavez's brother:AW: So, how do you see the role of Marxism in the Bolivarian revolution? ACh: In the same way that we have reclaimed the ideas of Bolivar, Rodriguez and Zamora, I think that we... more

On Saturday, Mr. Chavez toured the South Bronx, a depressed, violent neighbourhood populated mainly by blacks and Latinos -- and was greeted like a rock star. In a meeting with community leaders, he outlined a plan to have subsidized heating... more

He never stops talking and he never stops working. He has time for everyone and never forgets a face. For several years he travelled incessantly around the country, to keep an eye on what was going on. This was not... more

WASHINGTON, Aug 28 (Reuters) - "Since when did Venezuela become a threat?" asked U.S. radio sports talk show host Tony Kornheiser. "Since gas went over $3," his co-host joked, referring to soaring U.S. prices and the fact Venezuela holds the... more

Much like Muñoz Marin, Hugo Chavez had established a number of social "missions," (called "operations" in Muñoz's case) which consisted of an extensive, aggressive, and massive program that would revolutionize his respective society. I was familiar with a few of... more

"We have the ability to take him [Chavez] out, and I think the time has come that we exercise that ability. We don't need another 200 billion dollar war to get rid of one, you know, strong-arm dictator. It's a... more

Caracas, Venezuela, July 11, 2005—A country cannot have a revolution without culture affirmed Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, yesterday during his weekly television and radio program Aló Presidente after unveiling the newly-created Mission Culture. “Without a cultural process, there cannot be... more

Caracas, 23 de agosto de 2005 (VTV)/ El Ministro de Educación y Deportes Aristóbulo Istúriz, expresó su satisfacción por la consolidación del Sistema de Educación Bolivariana, dados los resultados que ha arrojado este Ministerio e hizo formalmente el anuncio que... more

On Friday, Vice President Jose Vicente Rangel said Venezuela had withdrawn diplomatic immunity for US anti-narcotics agents after the United States withdrew visas for Venezuelan officials in Washington. Finance24 Tag, your it. They're like two little kids. I hate that... more

So, what does his Bolivarian revolution consist of? He is friendly with Castro — indeed, they are close allies — yet he is no out-of-fashion state socialist. Capitalism is alive and well in Venezuela — and secure. There have been... more

A muddy path leads off the airport motorway into one of the small impoverished villages that perch on the hills above Caracas, a permanent reminder of the immense gulf between rich and poor that characterizes oil-rich Venezuela. Only 20 minutes... more

About 14 million Venezuelans voted Sunday to elect 2,389 councilors and 3,207 municipal representatives from among 38,757 candidates. People's Daily Online Although final tallies are still to be confirmed, all indications show municipal elections among 38,000 candidates from 900 parties... more

Chavez to go "mad about America" at Rio Carnival RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (Reuters) - Venezuela will sponsor a Carnival parade by one of Rio de Janeiro's top samba troupes to promote unity among Latin American nations and is likely... more

Before a crowd of over four hundred people gathered together for the 28th Mercosur Summit in Asunción, Paraguay, Venezuela's President Hugo Chávez laid out a framework for the construction of a new model for Mercosur, which is removed from imperialist... more

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez often rages against the evils of capitalism, but that does not stop his supporters cashing in on the image of the leftist former army paratrooper. Caracas street vendors, whose ramshackle stalls crowd the capital's sidewalks, are... more

CARACAS, Venezuela (Reuters) -- Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said on Sunday his government was interested in nuclear energy and could start talks with Iranian partners to study possible atomic and solar power projects. Chavez, a fierce critic of the United... more

…chavismo is not a left-wing ideology. That does not mean that chavismo is a right-wing ideology. It means that the categories of left and right are ill-suited to capturing what has been happening in Venezuela since 1999. In fact, the... more

El presidente venezolano, Hugo Chávez, amenazó hoy con convocar un referendo para consultar a la población sobre el uso de una fracción de las reservas internacionales, que se ubican en torno a los 28.000 millones de dólares impulsadas por los... more

In January, President Hugo Chavez signed decree number 3438, expropriating Venepal and opening the way for a 51-49 percent co-management arrangement between the government and Venepal workers. When it resumes operation soon, the plant will produce books for use in... more

Caracas, Venezuela, May 3, 2005—According to a survey conducted by the Venezuelan polling firm Datanálisis, 70.5% of Venezuelans support President Hugo Chávez. Published yesterday, the survey found that Chávez's approval rating had increased by over 10% from when the Venezuelan... more

CARACAS, Venezuela (Reuters) - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on Friday embraced socialism as his ideology of choice in a political statement that sharpened his antagonism against the United States. Chavez, a firebrand nationalist who has governed the world's No. 5... more

As part of the Venezuelan government’s new anti-tax evasion offensive known as “Plan Zero Evasion”, Coca-Cola Femsa, the largest bottler of Coca-Cola in Latin America, was forced to shut down its plants, distribution centres and branch offices for 48 hours,... more

According to Datanalisis, a Venezuelan survey taker, President Hugo Chávez, has surpassed a 65% rating during the last days. The pollster recognizes that this percentage is the highest reached by Chávez, except during the first months of his administration. Anncol... more

WASHINGTON (AP) - A senior US official said yesterday Latin American nations must join together to protect democracy against a "creeping authoritarianism" now taking root in the region. Robert Zoellick, designated by President George W Bush for the State Department's... more

Updated regularly 2/5/06 Chavez has said his country could halt all oil deliveries to the United States. Chavez likening US President George Bush to Hitler while saying he was considering buying enough rifles to arm one million Venezuelans ready to... more

Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez is trying to stimulate economic development from within, rather than by embracing ``globalization,'' and is spending billions of dollars on health-care, education and job-training programs, the Wall Street Journal reported... Petroleos de Venezuela, the state oil... more

A Google Scholar search of "Bolivarian Circles" yeilded a number of fascinating results (most of which are citations or PDF files.) I have a feeling that Google Scholar is soon to become my favorite Internet source for my personal education... more

When the Venezuelan opposition initiated their most recent drive to hold a referendum on President Hugo Chavez's rule, Chavistas responded by organizing their own signature collection. The Chavista campaign was held a week before that of the opposition. (Read this... more

The Venezuelan government has announced that it is going to cease all training of Venezuelan soldiers at the School of the Americas (now known as the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation), the controversial US military combat training school for... more

Two airplanes with Venezuelan marks were shot down by Colombian military forces. The planes were transporting arms to communist FARC guerrillas. The aircraft were in the hands of the FARC so I’m curious to hear Hugo Chavez’s response on the... more

Critics say the law violates the right to private property and is a throwback to Communist economies. Government officials, though, say forming peasant cooperatives -- rather than giving individual farmers their own property -- is the only way the farmers... more

"Venezuela has all this oil but we only see 20 percent of the profits and the rest goes out of the country, so we are poor," said teen Johnny Infante, in Spanish. "Chavez is going to change this and give... more

In response to my question about who gave him authority to name himself president, coup leader Carmona responded, 'Civil society'. New Internationalist MagazineSure, it's incorrect to think that Carmona was supported by the Venezuelan masses but the statement could appear... more

I stumbled upon "Viva la Arepa," a Venezuelan web site that highlights the cultural developments of the Chaveze reforms in Venezuela."Cocuy, ron, mezcal, chicha, saké, whisky, vino o cerveza. Prácticamente todas las culturas y pueblos del mundo han creado y... more

Article from the Miami Herald.... more

Back in 1989 the President of Venezuela began to implement a number of neo-liberal reforms in accordance to pacts signed with international lending institutions such as the IMF. The transportation sector was one of the many that felt the over-night... more

The spread of the Bolivarian circles is an effort to unleash the power of the masses, to bring the working people into the political arena. One immediate effect of that effort has been the emergence of new, popular leaders--a clear... more