Venezuela Opposition Group Reverses Call on Ballot Abstention

[bemildred]

Source: Bloomberg

Nov. 29 (Bloomberg) -- Comando Nacional de la Resistencia, a Venezuelan opposition group that President Hugo Chavez accuses of plotting his ouster, reversed its call to abstain from a referendum on a new constitution.

The CNR, in a statement posted to its Web site, said a massive voter turnout would defeat the Dec. 2 initiative to approve 69 changes to the constitution enlarging Chavez's power. Abstention will increase chances of its passage, local pollster Datanalisis said this month.

``We invite voters to go to the polls with their eyes wide open,'' Antonio Ledezma, one of the CNR leaders, from Caracas, said in the statement. ``The victory of the `No' to the reform proposal is our main goal. We must back it.''

Chavez's proposal aims to tighten his grip on power by eliminating term limits for the presidency, abolishing central bank autonomy, weakening state and municipal governments and making it easier for the government to expropriate private property, among other changes.

Read more: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601086&sid=aEYYavsjh87M&refer=latin_america

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

1. Most. Pretentious. PAC. Name. Ever.

"Comando Nacional de la Resistencia." Wow. It's like they're fighting the Nazis.

I bet they speak French and wear berets in their meetings, too.

[EFerrari]

2. These are the same people who overthrew the Constitution

WHILE they were chanting "democracy!". They're hilarious.

[slackmaster]

8. I think Mexico's PRI party still has a lock on that pretense

Institutional Revolutionary Party?

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

9. No, that the Most Oxymoronic Party Name Ever. Different award. -nt

[EFerrari]

11. Now, that's funny. LOL! n/t

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

12. hee hee hee

!

[boricua79]

3. now THIS Is a hit piece

"Chavez's proposal aims to tighten his grip on power by eliminating term limits for the presidency, abolishing central bank autonomy, weakening state and municipal governments and making it easier for the government to expropriate private property, among other changes."

why not just come out and say, boogah, boogah..communism....boogah, boogah!

[bemildred]

4. Well, the bit about weakening local government is a lie. nt

[EFerrari]

5. Yes, it is. They are doing exactly the opposite.

One of the features of the proposed reforms that I am interested in is the establishment of local citizen councils. That would seem to me to help protect the people from local strongmen.

[nerddem]

7. is there a "nice" way of putting it? nt

[ChairmanAgnostic]

6. your US tax dolares at work.

[formercia]

10. I think the prize should go to Silvio Berlusconi

for the most cynical misrepresentation in political party names:

http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSL1851412820071118?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews

By Gavin Jones

ROME (Reuters) - Italian centre-right leader Silvio Berlusconi, under attack from his coalition allies, said on Sunday he was launching a new party and would dissolve the Forza Italia (Go Italy!) group he founded in the early 1990s.

Surrounded by supporters in a central Milan square, Berlusconi said he would officially present on Monday The Party of the Italian People of Freedoms.

"Come with us, against the old fogeys of politics to form a great new party of the people," Berlusconi said, adding that his "new creation will be a protagonist of Italian politics for the coming decades".