Thought I should check in, even though there are no results yet obviously. Indeed, there has been an announcement that the polls are closing 4 hours later than planned—10pm, that is, instead of 6pm. It is going to be a long night.
The private network Globovision is covering it as “REFERENDO REVOCATORIO” (recall referendum). The state channel VTV is covering it as “PARTICIPATION 2004”.
More on all this later, but I went to two neighbourhoods. First, to 23 enero, one of the poor barrios, of 500,000 people, that is solidly NO! It is a place that got some media attention today because Chavez himself voted there (I saw my good friend Juan Forero there again). The people of that barrio have been fighting for social change for decades—one of them gave a very good interview and history that I will post some time soon—and were confident, organized, and serious.
Next stop: El Bosque! Country clubs! Social clubs! SUVs! And a very long lineup of umbrella-holding SI voters. Got a good interview there too, with someone who was every bit as confident as the people of 23 enero. According to her, there were two possibilities: either the opposition will win, or the government will have committed fraud. There seemed to be a lot of SI voters. And it seems to me they will be genuinely stunned if (when) they lose. More on this, too.
As far as procedural things go, there have been some. Carter started by saying this morning that things were going normal. Most polling stations opened late, well after 6am, with long lineups. Some of the registration machines that take fingerprints aren´t working. There have been a few other machine glitches.
But by far the weirdest thing so far has been (published on aporrea.org) that a fake tape recording of the president of the National Electoral Council, Francisco Carrasquero, was discovered. On it, a voice impersonating Carrasquero´s announced that the SI forces got 11 436 086 votes and that thus Chavez was revoked. The real Carrasquero said at a press conference that they are doing an “exhaustive investigation” of this “serious electoral crime”.
If you can read spanish at all, the place to go tonight is aporrea.org. I was in their “control room” yesterday and hope to get back there tonight (I am in the Narconews “control room” now). But aporrea.org is filing dozens of reports every hour, following every irregularity or problem.
You´ll have a full report as soon as the results are in. And maybe before, if anything else happens…
In this room I have had a chance to spend some time looking at other news for the first time since I arrived here. It looks like the US is preparing for a major massacre in Najaf. It is almost as if the US was the vindictive ruler of a global system of domination, punishing one population by smashing through holy sites and civilian areas at the same time as it is (maybe) resigning itself to losing a battle with another population. It is almost as if the US were fighting a two-front oil war… retreating on one front and assaulting on the other. Even if (when) “NO” wins tonight, it will be bitter that one people are winning yet another battle for their self-determination while another is being denied and massacred for fighting for the same thing.
Brasilia, Dec 5 (Prensa
Brasilia, Dec 5 (Prensa Latina) Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva once again assured social programs are investments with extraordinary upcoming profits, rather than high expenses as they have been sometimes rated.
In his weekly radio program “Cafe con el Presidente,” Lula said recent investigations revealed poverty in the country decreased 8 percent from 2003 to 2004, resulting from a strong social policy and a serious economic one.
“Assigning resources for the poor to be able to have breakfast, lunch and dinner, for a farmer to continue working the land, or for a student to go back to school is like investing to build a highway,” he claimed.
“Nothing was done in Brazil for 50 years because social investment was considered an expenditure,” the president noted, warning he will go on with it in spite of criticism.
“The Brazil we all dream of is still far ahead,” Lula said, but noted pay has increased, a million students who had quit school are once again studying, and 18 percent of families who lacked income are now earning again.
Moscow, Dec 5 (Prensa
Moscow, Dec 5 (Prensa Latina) Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Manmojan Singj are slated to sign Monday an agreement to strengthen military collaboration.
Singj arrived in Moscow on Sunday to examine the bilateral cooperation both nations have expanded during the last two years.
According to Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Mijail Kamynin, his government highly praises the talks with India, and the two countries vowed to contribute to collective security, conform to the UN Charter and for world multi-polar order.
Kamynin stated intensive two-way negotiations on the international and regional situation were in motion.
The military issue will be the core of their agenda, as India constitutes Russia´s second major partner in the weapon industry, accounting for 35 percent of exports.
According to the Defense Ministry, cited by Interfax, the sale of TU-22M3 long-range bombers is likely to be discussed, as well as accords promoted during Putin´s visit to New Delhi in December 2004.
The 9th round of talks of the Inter-Government Commission for Economic, Commercial, Scientific, Technical and Cultural Cooperation, and the 5th Meeting of the Joint Commission for Military Cooperation were held in Moscow last October and November.
Caracas, Dec 21 (Prensa
Caracas, Dec 21 (Prensa Latina) The three people who perpetrated the attack that killed Venezuelan Attorney Danilo Anderson last year will serve their sentences (from 27 to 30 years) at the Yare II Penitentiary.
Brothers Rolando and Otoniel Guevara were sentenced to 27 years and nine months, and their cousin Juan Bautista Guevara, to 30 years.
The Guevaras were convicted for aforethought homicide in first degree. Juan Bautista received a harsher sentence for the same crimes plus illegal possession of firearms and war weapons.
Witnesses and the Public Ministry provided sufficient evidence that proved their involvement in the assassination.
Anderson, who was investigating the 2002 coup, was killed on November 19, 2004 when a bomb exploded in his car.
Following 22 hearings, the court convicted the criminals on testimonies produced by Colombian witness Giovanni Vasquez De Armas.
Vasquez de Armas asserted the criminals first planned to assassinate President Hugo Chavez but the presidential security gear was impregnable and they decided to kill Anderson, an emblematic figure of the Public Ministry.
Another witness, Venezuelan Alexis Rodolfo Peñuela Marquez, said the Guevaras hired him and paid to “scare a public official,” but he quit as he realized they were plotting a murder.
Attorney Yoraco Bauza described Vasquez´ statement as clear and crushing, and said Republic Attorney General Isaias Rodriguez would give a news conference on the trial.
Caracas, Dec 21 (Prensa
Caracas, Dec 21 (Prensa Latina) The three people who perpetrated the attack that killed Venezuelan Attorney Danilo Anderson last year will serve their sentences (from 27 to 30 years) at the Yare II Penitentiary.
Brothers Rolando and Otoniel Guevara were sentenced to 27 years and nine months, and their cousin Juan Bautista Guevara, to 30 years.
The Guevaras were convicted for aforethought homicide in first degree. Juan Bautista received a harsher sentence for the same crimes plus illegal possession of firearms and war weapons.
Witnesses and the Public Ministry provided sufficient evidence that proved their involvement in the assassination.
Anderson, who was investigating the 2002 coup, was killed on November 19, 2004 when a bomb exploded in his car.
Following 22 hearings, the court convicted the criminals on testimonies produced by Colombian witness Giovanni Vasquez De Armas.
Vasquez de Armas asserted the criminals first planned to assassinate President Hugo Chavez but the presidential security gear was impregnable and they decided to kill Anderson, an emblematic figure of the Public Ministry.
Another witness, Venezuelan Alexis Rodolfo Peñuela Marquez, said the Guevaras hired him and paid to “scare a public official,” but he quit as he realized they were plotting a murder.
Attorney Yoraco Bauza described Vasquez´ statement as clear and crushing, and said Republic Attorney General Isaias Rodriguez would give a news conference on the trial.
Havana, Dec 21 (Prensa
Havana, Dec 21 (Prensa Latina) The US government has multiplied this year its anti-Cuba subversive and provocative activities through its Interest Section (SINA) in Havana.
Panelists speaking at the TV news analysis show Round Table on Tuesday night said these actions seek to accelerate the Bush-promoted “Transition Plan for a Free Cuba,” designed to topple the Cuban Revolution and recolonize the country.
The new SINA chief Michael Parmly has continued the same cynical and aggressive conduct of the previous White House representative in Havana, Cuban journalists commented at the program.
They noted that the call made by the US diplomatic head in Havana to counterrevolutionary elements on December 10 was another anti-Cuban act, under the pretext of the International Human Rights Day.
The aim, said the analysts, is to seek a political argument to justify a direct aggression and the military intervention in the island, by allotting large quantities of money and indoctrinating internal mercenaries.
This escalation of actions has been bolstered by visits of SINA´s alleged diplomats and officials to the houses of the main counterrevolutionary groups´ leaders.
In Parmy´s new method, he joins tele-conferences in and outside Cuba, meets with US academic institutions to raise funds and promotes TV and radio broadcasts, specially using radio Praga.
Panelists also rejected the new proposals by US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who will propose President George W. Bush additional measures to accelerate the so-called transition and speed up what she called “the necessary transformation of Cuba.”
Johannesburgo, 10 ene (PL)
Johannesburgo, 10 ene (PL) El presidente electo de Bolivia, Evo Morales, comenzó hoy una visita oficial a Sudáfrica, donde se entrevistará con el jefe de Estado, Thabo Mbeki.
Satisfecho Evo Morales tras visita a China
En el aeropuerto internacional de esta ciudad, Morales manifestó sentirse muy féliz de hallarse en este país para intercambiar experiencias.
El mandatario electo, quien será investido oficialmente el 22 de enero próximo, permanecerá dos días en Sudáfrica, adonde arribó procedente de China.
Como parte de su programa para este martes, el invitado por el gobierno sudafricano recorrerá el Museo del Apartheid y sostendría un encuentro con el secretario general del Congreso Nacional Africano (ANC), Kgalema Motlanthe.
Evo Morales prevé entrevistarse mañana con el presidente Mbeki y ofrecer una conferencia de prensa como colofón de su estancia en este país austral.
El político de 46 años de edad alcanzó la presidencia de Bolivia al frente del Movimiento al Socialismo (MAS) el 18 de diciembre pasado.
Tras su elección inició una gira internacional que le llevó a Cuba, Venezuela, España, Bélgica, Holanda, Francia y China, de donde partió hacia Sudáfrica.
En Beijing fuentes diplomáticas bolivianas dijeron a Prensa Latina que la visita de Morales al país asiático abre nuevas perspectivas de desarrollo a las relaciones de cooperación entre las dos partes, en las esferas política, económica y comercial.
Durante su estada allí, Morales se entrevistó en el Gran Palacio del Pueblo con el jefe de Estado, Hu Jintao.
You guys are the 16804 best,
You guys are the 16804 best, thanks so much for the help.