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Caribbean-Latin America
Chavez Threatens To Send In Tanks If Opposition Wins Vote
2008-11-11
Venezuela's increasingly bellicose President Hugo Chavez warned that he may put tanks on the streets if a former television star running for his Socialist Party loses a state election this month.

Chavez is expected to lose control of some key states and cities in the November 23 nationwide elections for governors and mayors. In Carabobo, where a Chavez loyalist and former late-night talk show host risks losing the governorship, Chavez told party activists he might use the tanks to "defend the people."

"If you let the oligarchy return to government then maybe I'll end up sending the tanks of the armoured brigade out to defend the revolutionary government," he said late on Saturday.

In recent weeks the former tank officer also has threatened to jail the country's top opposition leader, Manuel Rosales, whom he accuses of corruption and of plotting to kill him. Chavez frequently uses polarizing rhetoric as a campaign tactic to mobilise party activists to vote, but rarely carries through on his threats.
Posted by:Anonymoose

#5  Didn't seem like the military was going to stand with him in his recent bid to become President For Life. I call bloviation on this one.
Posted by: SteveS   2008-11-11 16:37  

#4  Wonder if Bambi is taking notes on this....
Posted by: USN, Ret.   2008-11-11 15:29  

#3  Anybody heard from Sean Penn, etal, regarding this?
Posted by: Uncle Phester   2008-11-11 12:31  

#2  The Revolution : you can check in, you can't check out. And it's always under attack by "dark reactionary forces", so it must be "defended"...
Posted by: anonymous5089   2008-11-11 12:26  

#1  Ah, "Defending the people". Must be the Venezuelan version of "Hope and change"...
Posted by: tu3031   2008-11-11 12:02  

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