Chávez insists he will enact reforms

VENEZUELA: Just days after voters rejected proposals to massively increase his power, Venezuela's president, Hugo Chávez, went back on the offensive, dismissing the opposition's victory in Sunday's referendum with insults and saying he would find other ways to enact the defeated reforms.

He told the opposition: "I wish you knew how to manage your victory. But you are already covering it with s**t. It's a s**t victory and it's yours." The comments were in stark contrast to the conciliatory concession speech he gave in the early hours of Monday morning when he told his opponents to enjoy their victory. Mr Chávez's ire seemed to have been provoked by reports that he had been pressurised into accepting his defeat by the country's military high command.

Surrounded by his top commanders he angrily denied this, a claim backed up by Gen Gustavo Rangel Briceño, the defence minister. The president even seemed to question whether he had in fact lost the referendum saying: "It is not that we didn't achieve [ victory], because, if you finish counting, this difference could be zero." Using a baseball analogy he compared himself to a baseball player at bat who lets the first ball pass, waiting for the next two chances.

Mr Chávez said he planned to push ahead with Sunday's defeated proposals promising "a new offensive" and indicated that supporters could call a new referendum on the proposals if they gathered enough signatures.

Supporters would need to gather the signatures of just five per cent of registered voters to trigger this. The proposals could also be passed through the Chávista-controlled national assembly.

Mr Chávez is famous for his colourful language, mixing insults with folksy witticisms and analogies from baseball. While opponents decry him as crude he is loved by many supporters for his common touch.

© 2007 The Irish Times

This article appears in the print edition of the Irish Times