CARACAS, VENEZUELA — Politics has become an especially rough contact sport for Venezuelan state and local officials who oppose President Hugo Chavez.
Several governors and mayors who beat the fiery socialist leader's chosen candidates in November elections say Chavez has hijacked many of their resources and prerogatives. Now, proposed legislation that would give the president power to squeeze minority parties and arbitrarily redraw legislative districts has set off additional alarms.
Gov. Henrique Capriles, who defeated a close Chavez associate in elections in Miranda state, said in an interview Thursday that by not sharing federal revenue, Chavez had cut his state's income by 40%. He said Chavez had also taken over state-controlled entities, including ports, airports, a hospital and an asphalt plant, and appropriated 3,000 firearms from the state police.
"Chavez's worst fear is that my government proves to be more efficient than his," said Capriles, whose former opponent, Diosdado Cabello, is now a Chavez Cabinet minister.
On Wednesday, 90 residents of the town of Curiepe, in Miranda, demonstrated in front of Miraflores presidential palace in Caracas to protest the forced ejection last week of state police from their town hall by the National Guard. Most of the demonstrators described themselves as Chavez supporters.
"We didn't want to lose the state police because they are well respected and they help with social problems and drive our sick to the hospital. We don't know what we're getting in their place," said demonstrator Angelica Gerdler, a social worker in the town 100 miles east of Caracas, the capital.
Caracas Mayor Antonio Ledezma and two state governors, all of whom also beat Chavista candidates last year, returned this week from the Organization of American States in Washington where they demanded an investigation of what they called Chavez's antidemocratic actions.
Ledezma has seen his office stripped of its budget and most of its powers through the formation of a Chavez-controlled "capital district." Armed Chavez supporters occupied city hall in January as authorities stood by, forcing Ledezma's government to seek space in a downtown office building.
"We were elected by a vote of the people but our difficulties show how far revenge can be taken," Ledezma said Thursday at a news conference. The mayor said OAS Secretary-General Jose Miguel Insulza "has to choose between looking out for his job or democracy."
