Home > Venezuelans Crowd Outside Presidential Palace Demanding to See Chavez

Venezuelans Crowd Outside Presidential Palace Demanding to See Chavez

by Open-Publishing - Tuesday 31 May 2005
8 comments

Governments South/Latin America

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) - Nearly 1,000 supporters of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez massed outside his palace Monday, demanding that their leader show his face to reassure them that he was all right after three days of not appearing in public.

Throngs of Chavez loyalists faced off with police in anti-riot gear along the fences of the Miraflores presidential palace. Many demonstrators climbed the iron fences and stood atop them, shouting: "We want to see Chavez!"

Information Minister Andres Izarra told the television station Globovision on Monday morning: "There is no reason to be alarmed."

"There is nothing abnormal or extraordinary occurring," Izarra said. He said the 50-year-old president was well and handling government business as usual.

But those in the crowd said they weren’t convinced. Asked about Izarra’s assurances, demonstrator Rosa Perez said, "That’s a lie. We don’t trust any of them."

The 58-year-old housewife said she was afraid of something happening like the short-lived coup of April 2002 in which Chavez was briefly ousted, then returned to power.

"We don’t want April 11 to happen again," she said. "We want to see him."

Some in the crowd held up posters of the president. Others held Venezuelan flags, shouting: "Fatherland or death, for our president!"

"We are here supporting President Chavez. We won’t go away until we see him," said Gladys Bolivar, 48. "Since this morning, they’ve been telling us the president is going to appear, and we don’t see him. No one will be able to move us from here until he appears in the window."

Chavez was last seen in public on Friday. He was expected to attend a pro-government march on Saturday, but his appearance was canceled.

His radio and TV show "Hello President" was canceled Sunday. Izarra told state television and radio Sunday that Chavez turned over his airtime to allow the broadcast of a volleyball match between Venezuela and Brazil. Izarra said Chavez was "spending time with his family, as every human being has a right to do."

Chavez’s weekly show is a fixture, particularly for his ardent supporters. The show, in which he touches on everything from politics to childhood stories, regularly lasts up to six hours.

Izarra sought to assure the public that Chavez was all right after hundreds of government supporters first crowded outside his palace Sunday demanding to see him.

http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGBYVIQ7D9E.html

Forum posts

  • With the CIA making several attempts on Chavez’s life, it is understandable that many fear he will be assassinated by the United States. Venezuela’s oil is so tempting to the oil barons that they will stoop to anything to get at it.

    • If the United States really wanted Chavez no longer among the living do you really believe that he would still be around. Chavez has learned from his idol, Fidel Castro, about spreading rumors about imanent death by assasination. This tactic keeps his followers at the ready to blame even acts of God on the United States. I really have nothing against Chavez, but to see the amount of wealth entering Venezuelan coffers with the high price of petroleum and these money’s squandered through mismanagement and ignorance is beyond me. Venezuela has a population of about 26 million people, with it’s wealth there should be no poverty, yet the people suffer. Chavez has much explaining to do but he prefers talking about starting neuclear power strategies with Iran, and about the American "oligarchy", and helping the poor nations. What a bunch of hypocritical bull.

    • Well said. Chávez should follow the lead of the United States, the richest country in the history of the world, which has succeeded in wiping out poverty from sea to shining sea.

    • What a couple of stupid shitheads the above two posters are. They are just ignorant boobs trolling everywhere spreading Bushco shit for their corrupt leaders and defending the indefensable CIA and its policy to assassinate democratically elected leaders and install the puppets of the corrupt leaders of the US. And the moron that really thinks that poverty has been wiped out in the US is just a dumb ass living in a dream world under a rock somewhere in Tennessee.

    • Actually, no. My message is saraacastic. Even a dumb ass living in Tennessee, or Texas for that matter, could not believe poverty has been wiped out in the US.

    • In fact I think America nears already to the standards of the third world!

      All people who voted for republicans must hate for some reason their children and the upcoming generations.

    • For the past 40 years Fidel Castro has been living seven stories underground under a Havana Park. No he does not do that for fun. CIA, Mossad and Batista supporters have tried to kill him numerous times. So many times in fact that even Fidel no longer counts attempts on his life!

    • Remember the US mafia had control of Cuba before Fidel and the Cuban people’s revolution so it is no suprise that the mafia has tried to assassinate Fidel after all the CIA and the mafia are sometimes the same people with the same agenda.