Chavez Begins Early
Offensive in 2008
Venezuelan progressives
are preparing an
offensive for the
elections of governors
and mayors this year,
backed by a new party as
a core of a political
alliance.
President Hugo Chavez
announced Thursday that
the foundational
Congress of the United
Socialist Party of
Venezuela (PSUV) will be
opened on January 12,
bringing together over
20 organizations.
Chavez proposed the
creation of that group
to guarantee the
cohesion, continuity,
and ideological platform
of the socialist process
he has been heading
since 1999.
Over 600 posts for
governors and mayors
will be elected in late
October or early
November, as the
National Electoral
Council decides.
The elections will be
the first since a
constitutional reform
project encouraged by
Chavez was defeated on
December 2.
To retake the triumphant
course that in 2006
allowed him to begin a
new mandate with over
seven million votes
(over 63 percent of the
total), the Venezuelan
leader considers it
appropriate to revise,
rectify, and reactivate
the process.
One of the first actions
is to take up the PSUV
foundation, which was
postponed by the
referendum campaign.
For many people, even
Chavez, the lack of a
party able to mobilize
wide sectors was one of
the reasons of the
defeat, something he is
trying to change now.
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