President Hugo Chavez has kicked off a much anticipated national bicentennial celebration in Venezuela, as various leaders from around the region traveled to Caracas for a summit of ALBA member states which began Monday evening. Among the attendees at a four-hour parade, marking 200 years of Venezuelan independence, were close Chavez allies Raul Castro of Cuba and Evo Morales of Bolivia. Argentina’s Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner (who spoke before a special session of the National Assembly), Ecuador’s Rafael Correa, and Nicaragua’s Daniel Ortega were also in attendance, as were representatives from various other Latin American nations. Speaking at Monday’s civic-military parade, President Chavez praised his country’s move to what he called a form of “democratic socialism.” According to the AP, he also attacked the candidacy of presidential contender Juan Manuel Santos in neighboring Colombia, proclaiming that his election would “be a threat to all of us, especially for Ecuador, Venezuela and Nicaragua.”
Meanwhile, leaders of the opposition to the Chavez government – none of whom were invited to participate in Monday’s events – rejected the “ideologization” of the country’s bicentennial. According to AFP, various opposition groups gathered this week under the Table of Democratic Unity (MUD) – arguing that Mr. Chavez’s 11-year rule has “promoted separation and confrontation” in Venezuelan society.
A MUD communiqué released yesterday declared that “freedom and democracy” were at risk under the Chavez government – in particular highlighting ongoing water and electricity shortages that continue to affect the country and which opposition groups see the Chavez government as unable to resolve.
For a critical opinion of bicentennial celebrations, specifically their “militaristic tone,” María Teresa Romero has more at Infolatam.
To other news:
· A second summit in Latin America – this one a meeting of social movements and representatives of various governments from around the world to discuss climate change – also began yesterday in Cochabamba, Bolivia. According to the BBC, the summit organized by Bolivia’s Evo Morales will “propose a world referendum to ask up to two billion people their views on how to tackle climate change.” Several thousand (the AP says around 20,000 people from 129 countries!) are expected to attend this week’s meetings which end Thursday. Pablo Solon, Bolivia’s ambassador to the UN, tells BBC that he believes “this is the only scenario to make a balance between the pressure that at this moment the corporations are putting on the government versus the pressure that can emerge, can arise from civil society.” Solon also talks with Democracy Now’s Amy Goodman here, from Tiquipaya, Bolivia yesterday, discussing the relationship of this summit to the next international meeting on climate change in Mexico later this year. Interestingly, Solon says in the interview that the only country who formally said they would not send an official representative to the Bolivia has thus far been the United States. However, hundreds of US climate change activists will be on hand—among them writer Bill McKibben. For more, Al-Jazeera has a short video report on the summit. And to take a look at the full program of the Cochabamba summit, click here.
· In Ecuador, the BBC reports that two alleged Colombian guerrillas were killed Sunday in a clash with the Ecuadorian military. The military said in 2009 that it had located some 187 clandestine camps on its territory belonging to Colombian irregular armed groups. The military has increased its presence along the border since the March 2008 raid of a FARC camp in Ecuador by the Colombian military sparked an ongoing diplomatic dispute.
· In Peru, representatives of 17 political movements in the country signed a “Compromiso ético contra la infiltración del narcotráfico” this week, drafted by the National Commission for Development and Life without Drugs (Devida), the state office in charge of anti-drug policy in Peru. According to the head of Devida, Rómulo Pizarro, the signing of the accord “opens the door for continuing the fight against narcotrafficking in the long term.”
· The Guardian examines rising allegations of corruption within the government of Hugo Chavez, with former chavista Wilmer Azuaje, once a “rising star in the ruling party,” among those critical of what he calls an increasingly corrupt and nepotistic Chavez government. According to the Guardian’s Rory Carroll, “The allegations come amid wider complaints that the revolutionary socialist movement…has been hijacked by money-driven opportunists inside, or close to, the government.” Recent polls show that 64% of Venezuelans believe corruption is getting worse in the country. And a Transparency International index on corruption perceptions seems to second this view. Out of 180 total countries, Venezuela ranks 162 on TI’s list, alongside Angola and Congo.
· The New York Times this morning profiles Mexican first lady Margarita Zavala. In the Times’ words, “the discreet first lady has taken on a public role consoling the families of victims as Mexico’s drug war claims a growing number of innocent lives.” Some even say Zavala may currently be the most popular figure in President Felipe Calderon’s party, the PAN.
· The US military has announced that its mission in Haiti is winding down and will officially end on June 1. Currently, there are some 2200 US soldiers still present in the country. By June that number is expected to fall to just 500 National Guardsmen and reservists. Also on Haiti, Jim Luce has an interview with US ambassador to Haiti, Kenneth Merten at the Huffington Post.
· On Honduras, IPS has a new report on the truth commission process that is just now getting under way, and is already “under fire from all sides.” The coordinator of the commission is former Guatemalan VP Eduardo Stein. Stein is joined by two other international experts, two national experts and a support team, with technical and administrative assistance provided by the Organisation of American States (OAS). While President Pepe Lobo has said the commission’s investigation into events surrounding the June 2009 ouster of Mel Zelaya will be “objective and impartial,” Stein recently noted that the detailed findings of the report would remain classified for 10 years. Additionally, there has been a general rejection of the official truth commission’s work—both by the political Right and the Honduran human rights community. And this has led some groups to new call for an “alternative truth commission” to be created in order to monitor the official commission! According to IPS, Amnesty International has stated their support for such an alternative. More analysis on the matter from RAJ at Honduras Culture and Politics. Also, part II of a Real News video report on ongoing rights abuses and the recent militarization of the Honduran countryside.
· Finally today some recent poll numbers. From Central America, M & R Consultores has new national approval ratings for Central American leaders. The results put Mauricio Funes at 67% approval in El Salvador, Pepe Lobo at 47% in Honduras, Alvaro Colom at 45% in Guatemala, and Daniel Ortega at just 23% in Nicaragua. In Colombia, new numbers ahead of late May’s presidential poll. An Ipsos-Napoleón Franco poll has Juan Manuel Santos still leading the pack at 30% but the pairing of Mockus-Fajardo continues to rise in popularity, now in second place with 20% support. Conservative Noemí Sanín has fallen to a distant third with just 12%. In a potential second-round race between Santos and Mockus, Santos still wins, 45% to 37%. A Cedatos-Gallup Internacional poll in Ecuador shows that President Rafael Correa’s popularity has rebounded slightly, up to 46% in April from 41% in February. And via Bloggings by Boz, a new BBC poll has some interesting numbers about positive/negative views of US and Brazilian influence in the world.
Correction: Yesterday I reported that US military aid to Colombia (via Plan Colombia) has totaled $7.3 million. That figure should have read “$7.3 billion.” Apologies for the error!
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