Tuesday, May 21, 2013
The Associated Press
(Continued from page 3)
In this file photo released by Miraflores Press Office, Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez speaks with workers as he visits a truck factory in Barinas, Venezuela on Tuesday Feb. 21, 2012. Venezuela's Vice President Nicolas Maduro announced on Tuesday, March 5, 2013 that Chavez has died. Chavez, 58, was first diagnosed with cancer in June 2011. (AP Photo/Leslie Mazoch)
AP
In this undated photo released by Miraflores Press Office, Lieutenant Hugo Chavez poses for a photo at the Military Academy in Caracas, Venezuela. Venezuela's Vice President Nicolas Maduro announced on Tuesday, March 5, 2013 that Chavez has died. Chavez, 58, was first diagnosed with cancer in June 2011. (AP Photo/Miraflores Press Office)
A TURBULENT ERA
Here is a brief look at the political fortunes of Hugo Chavez:
THE REVOLUTIONARY
On Feb. 4, 1992, Army paratrooper Lt. Col. Chavez leads botched coup against President Carlos Andres Perez and faces possible 30-year prison term, but after two years in jail awaiting trial, Chavez and fellow plotters are set free by a more lenient president.
THE NEW PRESIDENT
By 1998 Chavez has worked his way into the political system and manages to win the presidential election. Promising to seek "third way" between socialism and capitalism, Chavez overwhelmingly wins support for proposal for a new constitution giving him broad power. In July of 2000, Chavez is elected to a new six-year term.
A SHORT-LIVED COUP
In April 2002, dissident generals and political opponents oust Chavez and clear the way for interim government that throws out constitution. But after extensive public protests, Chavez supporters and loyal army officers restore him to power. Many Venezeulans, however, are unhappy and business organizations, labor unions and executives from Venezuela's state-run oil company call a strike. After the strike fizzles, top executives and 18,000 workers are fired for participating in it. Chavez survives a referendum on whether he should step down.
SOCIALIST REFORMS
In 2005, Chavez targets the oil industry, dictating the sale of Venezuelan oil on preferential credit terms to more than a dozen countries. In 2007 and 2008, Chavez nationalizes or takes majority stakes in Venezuela's largest private electric company, the country's largest telecommunications company, the cement industry and the largest steel maker, and several large oil projects and banks. In 2009, Chavez, along with allies including Argentina, Brazil and Bolivia, sets up regional development lender called Bank of the South. It's billed as Latin American alternative to institutions such as International Monetary Fund.
VOTER BACKLASH
In 2009, Chavez wins voter approval to eliminate term limits, allowing him to run for re-election indefinitely; he vows to remain in power for at least another decade. But within a year, Chavez's allies lose their two-thirds majority in congressional elections that allowed them to ignore opponents in rewriting fundamental laws. His allies still retain a majority.
CANCER
In June of 2011, Chavez undergoes surgery in Cuba for pelvic abscess and there are rumors that he is severely ill. Throughout 2011 an 2012 Chavez denies he is seriously ill and on July 9, 2012 claims to be "totally free" of cancer. On Oct. 7, 2012, Chavez wins another six-year term, but announces two months later that his cancer has returned. On Dec. 11, 2012, he undergoes his fourth cancer-related operation in Cuba.
– From news service reports
After he was diagnosed with cancer in June 2011, he acknowledged that he had recklessly neglected his health. He had taken to staying up late and drinking as many as 40 cups of coffee a day. He regularly summoned his Cabinet ministers to the presidential palace late at night.
Even as he appeared with head shaved while undergoing chemotherapy, he never revealed the exact location of tumors that were removed from his pelvic region, or the exact type of cancer.
Chavez exerted himself for one final election campaign in 2012 after saying tests showed he was cancer-free, and defeated younger challenger Henrique Capriles. With another six-year term in hand, he promised to keep pressing for revolutionary changes.
But two months later, he went to Cuba for a fourth cancer-related surgery, blowing a kiss to his country as he boarded the plane.
After a 10-week absence, the government announced that Chavez had returned to Venezuela and was being treated at a military hospital in Caracas. He was never seen again in public.
On Tuesday, Cuban folk singer Silvio Rodriguez posted photos on his blog of a past encounter with Chavez, the Venezuelan leader singing along as he strummed a guitar.
"Goodbye forever, comandante," Rodriguez wrote.
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In this Jan. 23, 2002 file photo, Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez waves to supporters during a government march commemorating the anniversary of Venezuelan democracy in Caracas, Venezuela. Venezuela's Vice President Nicolas Maduro announced on Tuesday, March 5, 2013 that Chavez has died. Chavez, 58, was first diagnosed with cancer in June 2011. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano, File) |
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In this undated photo released by Miraflores Press Office, Hugo Chavez, center, looks at the camera during a military exercise in Venezuela. Venezuela's Vice President Nicolas Maduro announced on Tuesday, March 5, 2013 that Chavez has died. Chavez, 58, was first diagnosed with cancer in June 2011. (AP Photo/Miraflores Press Office) |
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In this Dec. 5, 2001 file photo, Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez gestures before a painting of Venezuelan independence hero Simon Bolivar at an event at Miraflores presidential palace in Caracas, Venezuela. Venezuela's Vice President Nicolas Maduro announced on Tuesday, March 5, 2013 that Chavez has died. Chavez, 58, was first diagnosed with cancer in June 2011. (AP Photo/Leslie Mazoch, File) |
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A supporter of Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez cries as she holds a sign that reads in Spanish "I am Chavez" as Chavistas gather in Bolivar square to mourn Chavez's death in Caracas, Venezuela, Tuesday, March 5, 2013. Venezuela's Vice President Nicolas Maduro announced that Chavez died on Tuesday at age 58 after a nearly two-year bout with cancer. During more than 14 years in office, Chavez routinely challenged the status quo at home and internationally. He polarized Venezuelans with his confrontational and domineering style, yet was also a masterful communicator and strategist who tapped into Venezuelan nationalism to win broad support, particularly among the poor. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos) |
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