Venezuelans protest against ban
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Riot police fired tear gas in Caracas to block about 1,000 people protesting the latest moves by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez to consolidate his power. The demonstrators said a blacklist of opposition candidates and a series of socialist decrees were destroying what’s left of democracy, according to Times wire reports.
The BBC reports this morning that the supreme court has upheld the ban imposed by anti-corruption officials though no candidates concerned have been convicted of any crime.
‘Protesters say the ban reflects a further concentration of power in the hands of President Hugo Chavez.’ ‘Most of the candidates represent opposition parties.’ There are less than four months to go now until regional and local elections, which could prove a key test for President Chavez and his socialist revolution, says the BBC’s James Ingham from Caracas.
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-- Deborah Bonello in Mexico City