Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez’s government is definitely not democratic. He has been on a rampage to limit private capital in his country, expropriating several private properties to nationalize them – arbitrarily. Last month, Chavez announced over national television that in Venezuela, “there is no private land.” This means that in his country, there is no such thing as property rights. Chavez runs his government like a pirate.

He is known to throw every possible stumbling block on the path of his political opponents. He deals with political challenge more than squarely. ‘Opposition leaders who won regional elections in December have been denied funding to run their governments or pushed into self-exile-to avoid arrest under selectively applied corruption laws. Other leaders have been jailed.’

Chavez’s government does not negotiate with opposition forces. The judiciary is not a co-equal of the executive branch of government. The ruling party, which means the president’s party, is allowed to use state resources while making the same absolutely unavailable to the opposition. Government employees are forced to campaign and vote for the government – Chavez’s government.

He shuns political protest, silences critical media, stifles student action, and even bans books from libraries. Chavez makes sure that any system of checks and balance in his government does not exist.

And to make sure that nobody in his country aspires for democracy, he rants and raves about the evils of the United States of America, the perceived champion of democracy.

But here’s the rub. Most of Chavez’s countrymen admire him, believing that what he does is for the good of Venezuela. Any criticism against Chavez is deemed a pro-West propaganda.

Chavez has had it good, on an almost flawless path towards autocratic rule. In fact, he’s on a roll.

Image

Via The Huffington Post