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新浪首页 > 新浪教育 > Defiant Chavez Hits Out At Bush

Defiant Chavez Hits Out At Bush
http://www.sina.com.cn 2004/03/03 10:32  Shanghai Daily

  Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez rallied more than 100,000 supporters as troops fired tear gas at opponents staging counter-protests to demand a recall vote on his rule. At least three people were wounded in the violence.

  Venezuela's National Elections Council postponed an expected decision on Sunday on the validity of more than 3.4 million signatures opponents say they submitted to demand the vote. Council director Jorge Rodriguez said the announcement was postponed to avoid more outbreaks of violence.

  Last week, the council announced it would ask hundreds of thousands of citizens to confirm they signed petitions that have technical problems. The decision infuriated opposition leaders, who have urged followers to wage a campaign of civil disobedience.

  Chavez railed against US intervention in Venezuelan politics.

  "This is to say no to Yankee intervention!" Chavez bellowed to cheers from thousands thronging a Caracas highway.

  The leftist leader, who accuses Washington of being behind a failed 2002 coup and of funding groups seeking a recall referendum on his rule, vowed to stay in power longer than US President George W. Bush, who comes up for reelection in November.

  Chavez said Bush "was not even the legitimate president of the United States," referring to the problematic Florida balloting in the 2000 US elections, which had to be resolved by the US Supreme Court.

  "I'm challenging Mr Bush to a bet. Who will last longer: him in the White House or me?" Chavez said.

  Washington denies backing attempts to oust Chavez, including the 2002 coup.

  Oil-rich Venezuela is torn between those who accuse Chavez of trying to impose communism and those who say he has given the poor an unprecedented say in politics. Chavez's six-year term ends in 2007.

  National Guard troops fired tear gas at hundreds of rock-throwing anti-Chavez demonstrators who set tires and small piles of trash on fire near an eastern Caracas plaza.

  Gunfire from unknown sources lightly wounded a soldier and Univision television cameraman Felipe Izquierdo, 38, said Caracas fire chief Rodolfo Briceno.

  A police officer was wounded when a group of "Chavista" motorcyclists charged into the protest, apparently shooting into the air, according to the Chacao district police.

  Firefighters gave oxygen to 60 people overwhelmed by the tear gas. The gas also forced the evacuation of hundreds of residents.

  Hundreds of Chavez opponents also staged protests in the western cities of Maracaibo and Barquisimeto.

  Government leaders called its march on Sunday a response to clashes between opposition marchers and National Guard troops that killed one person and injured 41 last Friday.

  Chavez, who survived a 2002 coup attempt and devastating strikes last year, vowed to crush any attempts to destabilize his three-year-old government.

  Venezuela's election council plans to reject up to 400,000 signatures outright and force more than 700,000 citizens to confirm they signed, sources involved in the verification process said on condition of anonymity.

  If the citizens don't come forward, the petition would fall short of the 2.4 million signatures needed to force the referendum.

  Officials are asking citizens to verify they signed because they allowed petition organizers to fill in their registration information on forms.

  Chavez claims this procedure opened the door to massive fraud.

  (The Associated Press)




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