After all the violent events of 2002, Hugo Chavez history in the presidency of Venezuela has been focused on hardening his political points, especially attacking the United States government. In 2003 and 2004 Chavez launched a number of social and economic campaigns as he struggled to maintain popular support. He now call his "revolution" the "Socialism of 21st Century" with many rules for social and economic deep transformations. These transformations on Chavez Venezuela has the similar structure of Cuban revolution and the extinct Soviet Union.

Throughout his presidency, Chavez has hosted the live talk show known as Aló Presidente ("Hello, President!"). The show broadcasts in varying formats on a state owned TV station (one of many) each Sunday. The show features Chávez addressing topics of the week. It was on this show where Chavez announced (using a whistle) he sacks 18.000 workers from the oil industry just because they were from the opposition side and some of them started a series of strikes.

Chavez Venezuela - Opposition Rally

The Recall:

In early and mid-2003, Súmate, an opposition-aligned volunteer civilian voter rights organization, began the process of collecting millions of signatures needed to activate the presidential recall provision provided for in Chavez's 1999 Constitution. The recall vote itself was held on August 15, 2004. A record number of voters turned out to defeat the recall attempt with a 59% "no" vote.

But many people are questioning those results and called them fraudulent, alleging there were "very clear trails of fraud in the statistical record" and alleged the electronic voting machines had been reconfigured to allow results to be altered remotely. There is a study made by 3 important Venezuelan Universities about that. And those fraudulent allegations have becoming stronger when in January 2007, former president of the Venezuela National Electoral Council (the same during the recall) was chosen by Chavez to be the new Vice-President of Chavez Venezuela. There is also a Venezuela exiles group (ORVEX) who has started having contacts with the EU Parliament in order to declare Chavez government as illegitimate.

Hugo Chavez

Chavez - Media Relationships:

In 2005, Chavez government passed a series of media regulations that criminalized broadcasted libel and slander directed against public officials; prison sentences of up to 40 months for serious instances of character defamation launched against Chavez and other officials were enacted. Politics against the media has become stronger in 2007 when Chavez decided to shutdown a TV station, RCTV. This decision of Hugo Chavez turned out many people back to the streets, specially the students, protesting against what they call a twist of Chavez into a dictatorship regime. Chavez also warned foreigners in Venezuela to not say opinions against him on public or they will be expelled from the country.

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Wikipedia

Answers

IACHR

El Universal

Chavez Venezuela - RCTV Shutdown

About the RCTV shutdown, he publicly stated: "It runs out in March(sic). So it's better that you go and prepare your suitcase and look around for what you're going to do in March... There will be no new operating license for this coupist TV channel called RCTV. The operating license is over... So go and turn off the equipment." Wikipedia

Living Conditions:

Chavez is more concerned about buying himself a better international reputation, and personal security, than he is with local problems. President Hugo Chavez has been spending in the last year billions of dollars doing business with other countries, specially buying arms and other countries debts. Meanwhile, in Chavez Venezuela, people are asking for more security, more food and houses. The insecurity on street of Venezuela has been increased dramatically, in last months there's been a shortage of groceries supplies. Recently while President Hugo Chavez was opening a new bridge outside Caracas, several persons from a poor "barrio" located near the zone when an old bridge collapsed, approached the president claiming some promissed houses. Similar protests has been occurred in other places of Venezuela, and now there are a new group of oil industry workers on strike.

Violence:

The Chavez Venezuela has becoming extremly violent. During the latest protest against the decision of President Hugo Chavez to shutdown RCTV, there have been reported some Chavez supporters armed, even with large guns, shooting to protesters. One TV station, Globovision, on may 2007 broadcasted a video recorded by one of the students protesting at night where you could see some persons (apparently from the Ministry of Habitat) open fire to students with medium and large guns (even an M4 rifle). You can watch:- [Video Removed from YouTube].

Another video also shows Chavez Venezuela police officers shooting resident buildings while the persons living in those buildings are protesting beating kitchen pans and making noise.

Supporter of Chavez Venezuela

On 2006 the Inter-American Comission for Human Rights (IACHR) made a statement about the violations of human rights by Chavez government. Check the entire report here