Chavez rival questions if gov't really socialist

Posted on Monday, 09.10.12

Chavez rival questions if gov't really socialist
By LUIS ANDRES HENAO
Associated Press

CARACAS, Venezuela -- The Venezuelan opposition's candidate in next
month's presidential election ridiculed President Hugo Chavez on Monday
for claiming to pursue socialist policies, and pledged to use the
country's oil wealth more effectively if elected.

Henrique Capriles told supporters that nearly 14 years under the
fiercely anti-capitalist Chavez have resulted in Venezuela having
violence-plagued prisons, crumbling hospitals and one of the world's
highest murder rates.

"If they're socialists, I'm Marxist-Leninist, because I invite them to
compare who is doing more on the social front and who is using resources
to solve the problems of our people, not to save other countries,"
Capriles said during a speech in which he laid out his plans if he wins
the Oct. 7 vote.

"This government imports gasoline from the United States and says it
fights against imperialism. It imports rice from the U.S. and it says
that it has gained its independence," he told a cheering crowd.

Capriles pledged to improve police forces to combat crime, which
according to polls is a top concern for Venezuelans. He also said he
would provide people with more job opportunities as well as better
electricity and water services after years of decaying infrastructure.

The opposition candidate accused Chavez of wasting Venezuela's oil
riches through fuel supply deals with allied nations such as Cuba and
Nicaragua that involve long-term, low-interest financing. "We aren't
going to give away a single drop more of our oil," he said.

Chavez disputes that characterization of his foreign oil deals and says
Venezuela has reached mutually beneficial oil deals with its allies
during his presidency.

Speaking on state television Monday, the 58-year-old president called
the 40-year-old Capriles "a rich kid disguising himself as poor, as a
boy from the barrio."

The leftist Chavez has regularly accused his rival of representing the
interests of the wealthy, but Capriles describes his views as
center-left and says he would maintain social programs for the poor
while also working with the private sector to create jobs.

Capriles has strongly criticized government seizures of private
businesses during Chavez's presidency.

The president has maintained a lead in most recent polls, but one survey
last month put the two candidates roughly even in a race that is
expected to be the toughest challenge of Chavez's career. After battling
cancer in the past year, Chavez says he is free of the illness as he
seeks another six-year term.

Trying to shore up support among poor Venezuelans, Chavez has also
increased spending on public housing and other social programs.

Chavez has accused Capriles of having a hidden agenda to impose
right-wing policies, and reiterated claims on Sunday that such policies
could lead to "a civil war." He said that even the wealthy, who are
regular targets of his criticism, ought to have an interest in
supporting him.

"To the families that have their riches, that own their nice homes,
their good cars, with their great apartments on the beach, who like to
travel abroad on holidays: Is a civil war convenient for them? Not at
all. It's only convenient for the extreme fascist right," the president
told supporters. "Even the rich guys, the wealthy families who want
tranquility ... Chavez guarantees you peace, stability."

Capriles has sought to counter such claims by saying that his proposals
would bring stability and that he has no plans to take away the
government's social programs for the poor.

Among his pledges on Monday, Capriles said he would strive to bring down
Venezuela's inflation rate, which at 18.1 percent is the highest in
Latin America.

He also said he would raise the minimum wage to the equivalent of $581 a
month from the current $476.

As for the country's key oil industry, Capriles pledged to take steps to
ensure better maintenance and safety measures. He referred to the
powerful Aug. 25 explosion at Venezuela's Amuay oil refinery, which
killed at least 42 people.

"Venezuelans still don't know the causes of this accident," Capriles
said. "The question all of us are asking is: Under this government, will
we ever know what happened there?"

Luis Andres Henao on Twitter: https://twitter.com/LuisAndresHenao

http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/09/10/2995595/chavez-rival-questions-if-govt.html