SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
To donate by check, phone, or other method, see our More Ways to Give page.
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez plays air guitar after delivering a speech during his closing campaign rally in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, Oct. 4, 2012. (AP/Ariana Cubillos)
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez held a massive campaign rally in Caracas on Thursday, the final day of campaigning before Sunday's election.
Chavez led hundreds of thousands of supporters in a chorus of the national anthem, played air guitar to a campaign theme song and shared the stage with his family, Britain's Guardianreports.
"We are playing for life. In our hands we will not lose the fatherland, we will not lose the future of the fatherland," Chavez said.
The mass rally transformed the city center into a sea of cheering, dancing, red-shirted followers on the final day of campaigning.
Chavez is the strong favorite, but few are predicting a landslide victory on the scale of past wins. Having battled cancer for most of the past year, he has been less visible than during previous campaigns.
Chavez, 57, has been president since February 1999. He is seeking another six-year term.
His challenger, Henrique Capriles, remained significantly behind Chavez in most polls but had narrowed the margin.
CNNreports:
For his part, Chavez has pledged he would keep the economy growing, said Mark Weisbrot, co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research.
Despite a recession a few years ago, the Venezuelan economy has expanded the past two and a half years, Weisbrot said. Unemployment has been halved since Chavez took office 1999, down to the 7% range, he added.
Chavez would continue to reduce extreme poverty -- which now stands at 7% -- through payments to households with children and boosting living standards.
His administration has recently built 250,000 homes for families -- which, based on national population, would be equivalent to 2.5 million new homes in the United States, Weisbrot said.
"Since the Chavez government got control over the national oil industry, poverty has been cut by half and extreme poverty by 70 percent. College enrollment has more than doubled, millions of people have access to health care for the first time, and the number of people eligible for public pensions has quadrupled," Weisbrot wrote in a recent analysis.
* * *
* * *
Jimmy Carter says: 'Election Process in Venezuela is the Best in the World'
* * *
After a long and bitterly fought campaign, Venezuela hold its first presidential election in six years on Sunday. And both candidates - incumbent Hugo Chavez and his rival Henrique Capriles - made the most of their last day on the campaign trail. RT's Lucy Kafanov looks at what's at stake during this election. Also, RT talks to Bill Fletcher, author and Senior Scholar with the Institute for Policy Studies.
* * *
# # #
Trump and Musk are on an unconstitutional rampage, aiming for virtually every corner of the federal government. These two right-wing billionaires are targeting nurses, scientists, teachers, daycare providers, judges, veterans, air traffic controllers, and nuclear safety inspectors. No one is safe. The food stamps program, Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid are next. It’s an unprecedented disaster and a five-alarm fire, but there will be a reckoning. The people did not vote for this. The American people do not want this dystopian hellscape that hides behind claims of “efficiency.” Still, in reality, it is all a giveaway to corporate interests and the libertarian dreams of far-right oligarchs like Musk. Common Dreams is playing a vital role by reporting day and night on this orgy of corruption and greed, as well as what everyday people can do to organize and fight back. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover issues the corporate media never will, but we can only continue with our readers’ support. |
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez held a massive campaign rally in Caracas on Thursday, the final day of campaigning before Sunday's election.
Chavez led hundreds of thousands of supporters in a chorus of the national anthem, played air guitar to a campaign theme song and shared the stage with his family, Britain's Guardianreports.
"We are playing for life. In our hands we will not lose the fatherland, we will not lose the future of the fatherland," Chavez said.
The mass rally transformed the city center into a sea of cheering, dancing, red-shirted followers on the final day of campaigning.
Chavez is the strong favorite, but few are predicting a landslide victory on the scale of past wins. Having battled cancer for most of the past year, he has been less visible than during previous campaigns.
Chavez, 57, has been president since February 1999. He is seeking another six-year term.
His challenger, Henrique Capriles, remained significantly behind Chavez in most polls but had narrowed the margin.
CNNreports:
For his part, Chavez has pledged he would keep the economy growing, said Mark Weisbrot, co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research.
Despite a recession a few years ago, the Venezuelan economy has expanded the past two and a half years, Weisbrot said. Unemployment has been halved since Chavez took office 1999, down to the 7% range, he added.
Chavez would continue to reduce extreme poverty -- which now stands at 7% -- through payments to households with children and boosting living standards.
His administration has recently built 250,000 homes for families -- which, based on national population, would be equivalent to 2.5 million new homes in the United States, Weisbrot said.
"Since the Chavez government got control over the national oil industry, poverty has been cut by half and extreme poverty by 70 percent. College enrollment has more than doubled, millions of people have access to health care for the first time, and the number of people eligible for public pensions has quadrupled," Weisbrot wrote in a recent analysis.
* * *
* * *
Jimmy Carter says: 'Election Process in Venezuela is the Best in the World'
* * *
After a long and bitterly fought campaign, Venezuela hold its first presidential election in six years on Sunday. And both candidates - incumbent Hugo Chavez and his rival Henrique Capriles - made the most of their last day on the campaign trail. RT's Lucy Kafanov looks at what's at stake during this election. Also, RT talks to Bill Fletcher, author and Senior Scholar with the Institute for Policy Studies.
* * *
# # #
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez held a massive campaign rally in Caracas on Thursday, the final day of campaigning before Sunday's election.
Chavez led hundreds of thousands of supporters in a chorus of the national anthem, played air guitar to a campaign theme song and shared the stage with his family, Britain's Guardianreports.
"We are playing for life. In our hands we will not lose the fatherland, we will not lose the future of the fatherland," Chavez said.
The mass rally transformed the city center into a sea of cheering, dancing, red-shirted followers on the final day of campaigning.
Chavez is the strong favorite, but few are predicting a landslide victory on the scale of past wins. Having battled cancer for most of the past year, he has been less visible than during previous campaigns.
Chavez, 57, has been president since February 1999. He is seeking another six-year term.
His challenger, Henrique Capriles, remained significantly behind Chavez in most polls but had narrowed the margin.
CNNreports:
For his part, Chavez has pledged he would keep the economy growing, said Mark Weisbrot, co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research.
Despite a recession a few years ago, the Venezuelan economy has expanded the past two and a half years, Weisbrot said. Unemployment has been halved since Chavez took office 1999, down to the 7% range, he added.
Chavez would continue to reduce extreme poverty -- which now stands at 7% -- through payments to households with children and boosting living standards.
His administration has recently built 250,000 homes for families -- which, based on national population, would be equivalent to 2.5 million new homes in the United States, Weisbrot said.
"Since the Chavez government got control over the national oil industry, poverty has been cut by half and extreme poverty by 70 percent. College enrollment has more than doubled, millions of people have access to health care for the first time, and the number of people eligible for public pensions has quadrupled," Weisbrot wrote in a recent analysis.
* * *
* * *
Jimmy Carter says: 'Election Process in Venezuela is the Best in the World'
* * *
After a long and bitterly fought campaign, Venezuela hold its first presidential election in six years on Sunday. And both candidates - incumbent Hugo Chavez and his rival Henrique Capriles - made the most of their last day on the campaign trail. RT's Lucy Kafanov looks at what's at stake during this election. Also, RT talks to Bill Fletcher, author and Senior Scholar with the Institute for Policy Studies.
* * *
# # #