Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic)
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Venezuela election to test Chavez’s socialist legacy
CARACAS, (Reuters) – The late Hugo Chavez’s self-declared socialist revolution will be put to the test at a presidential election on Sunday that pits his chosen successor against a younger rival promising change in the nation he polarized. Most opinion polls give his protege, acting President Nicolas Maduro, a strong lead over opposition challenger Henrique Capriles thanks to Chavez’s endorsement…
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Chavez gone, but family still has clout in Venezuela
SABANETA, Venezuela, (Reuters) – Sitting under the shade of mango trees in the childhood backyard of late socialist leader Hugo Chavez, Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro kicked off his election campaign with a sentimental chat with members of the ex-president’s family. Chavez’s five brothers regaled Maduro, the acting president, with stories of how they played marbles and ate mangoes as children on…
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Even in Death, Chávez Is a Powerful Presence
SAN FELIPE, Venezuela — Nicolás Maduro is certainly not the first political candidate to invoke the name and legacy of a dead leader to win votes. But he may be the first to say that his political mentor, President Hugo Chávez, visited him from beyond the grave in the form of a little bird. In what stands out as the…
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Maduro and Capriles: tale of two Venezuelan presidential candidates
BOGOTA — One is a former union organizer and foreign minister who skipped university to pursue politics. He rose to fame as the loyal soldier of late President Hugo Chávez. The other is a governor and lawyer who spent four months in jail. He prides himself on defeating every rival he has ever faced except one: Chávez. As Venezuela barrels…
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Venezuelan oil program uncertainty fuels Caribbean concern
In the Dominican Republic, discounts on Venezuelan oil imports keep the lights on. In Jamaica, they are helping a limping economy stay afloat, and in Haiti, a young and inexperienced leadership is using them to achieve quick results. But despite financial benefits of the late Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez’s Petrocaribe oil agreement with cash-strapped Caribbean countries, analysts and critics say…
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Venezuela presidential race begins amid personal attacks and tension
BOGOTA — Drugs, lies and murder plots. Venezuela’s compressed presidential campaign officially begins Tuesday in a race that will determine the future of the Andean nation after the death of President Hugo Chávez, who led the country for 14 years. But the accusations and innuendos being hurled between the two main candidates are threatening to turn this into one of…
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Venezuela’s resource diplomacy after Hugo Chavez: Will politics or economics triumph?
In the past few weeks there has been a lot of speculation in the Caricom and regional media about whether the PetroCaribe programme will survive without President Hugo Chávez. The informal consensus is that the programme will not be terminated abruptly under the administration of acting President Nicolas Maduro; and if he is elected president, the programme could have a…
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Venezuela halts communication with US diplomat
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuela has halted communication with a top US diplomat in the wake of President Hugo Chavez's death, hardening its anti-US stance ahead of an election next month. Foreign Minister Elias Jaua said yesterday that “any type of contact has been postponed” with US Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Roberta Jacobson, who had reportedly…
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Venezuela’s Capriles Vows to End Cuba Giveaways
CARACAS Venezuelan opposition presidential candidate on Monday vowed to end the OPEC nation's shipments of subsidized oil to communist-run Cuba, slamming acting President as a puppet of Havana. Capriles has berated Maduro as a weak imitation of the late Hugo Chavez, whose death two weeks ago convulsed the country and triggered the April 14 vote. The opposition also accuses the…
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