"Chavez es el Pueblo"

AUGUST 2004: VICTORY has been declared in Venezuela through honoring the people's will, which overturned a proposed removal of democratically-elected president Hugo Chavez by a 58% to 41% margin!!

The voting took place on Sunday Aug 15th with enormous turnout all over the country. The passion & massive-beyond-belief participation & grassroots organization of the campaigning and voting process was one of the most inspiring things I have ever seen in my life! We were able to film the entire process, mostly in the barrio of 23 de enero, a poor neighborhood with a long history of revolutionary struggle. People waited in line for up to 12 hours, withstanding sun & rain, to exercise their sacred right to vote. The abstention rate dropped from 40% in the precious elections to 20%.

More than 400 Election Observers came from all over the world, many from Latin Americam including state senators and ex-presidents, and declared this the most advanced electoral system in the region today.

The preliminary results were declared at 4 am on Monday Aug 16, four hours after the last vote was cast. The celebrations continue in the capital city of Caracas.

The Venezuelan opposition is calling the referendum results a fraud, but even the Carter Center and the OAS observers said in a press conference yesterday that they had could not find ONE SINGLE CASE of fraud! (Carter also said it was the most massive turnout for a vote that he had ever seen).

The Venezuelan opposition privately owns most of the media, including TV stations. Their coverage and opinions are also being validated by the US & international media coverage of the referendum in spite of their highly unethical slandering.

But the Victory is no surprise. Venezuela is building an exemplary model of democracy based on "massive & conscious participation" and is using profits - for the first time in Venezuelan history - from the oil industry to fund broad social development programs including a literacy campaign, food sovereignty projects, community-based medical care, indigenous land rights, general urban & rural land reform, cultural programs, and more.

As we walked in the streets here talking to people, it was immeditately evident that those who support Chavez know exactly why. They are being included in the design of their nation for the first time, they are involved and inspired! They are buiding a just nation where wealth generated from national resources is being used to benefit all, and the love and energy of each is called forth.

Without support from Washington, the Venezuelan opposition would be no threat to these gains and would probably whither away as the country develops & improves. We in the US must fight to defend Venezuela’s independence & self-determination, and guarantee the survival of this amazing model of a State that actually includes and answers to its people. We must also fight to bring these examples home to our own communities and nation!

-This news piece was written by Catherine Murphy

Click here to see the entire CSPG 15th Anniversary Portfolio, hand printed at the Taller Tupac Amaru

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