Latin American News Briefly

Photo of Latin America and left-leaning governments
The Revolution is spreading to the North!

**Chavez Responds to being called a demagogue in Venezuela**

"You are a donkey, Mr. Bush," said Chavez, speaking in English on his weekly Sunday broadcast. "You're an alcoholic Mr. Danger, or rather, you're a drunkard," Chavez said, referring to Bush with his nickname he frequently uses to describe the U.S. president.

A White House report released last week on pre-emptive force in national security described Chavez as a "demagogue" who uses Venezuela's oil wealth to destabilize democracy in the region. Chavez was quick to register his opinion of the report.

Link to above story:

http://www.swissinfo.org/sen/swissinfo.html?siteSect=143&sid=6560915&cKe...

**Argentina vows ‘never again’ to allow military coup or state terrorism.**

Argentine President Nestor Kirchner set a national holiday to mark the 30th anniversary of a military coup that ushered in possibly the most murderous dictatorship in South America. The National Day of Memory for Truth and Justice will be a reminder of the tens of thousands of lives lost in the years of dictatorship.

Kirchner castigated the armed forces for their "criminal project" and "plan for extermination" during their rule from 1976 through 1983. Documents uncovered from the National Security Archive, a private group based in Washington, declassified US government cables and transcripts relating to the 1976 coup.

When a deputy warned Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger two days after the coup to "expect a fair amount of repression, probably a good deal of blood," Mr. Kissinger was unfazed and ordered American support for the new military junta.

"I do want to encourage them," Mr. Kissinger said, according to the documents. "I don't want to give the sense that they're harassed by the United States."

Link to above story:

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/25/international/americas/25argentina.html

**Andres Manuel López Obrador, an unvarnished leftist, is front-runner in Mexico.**

López Obrador, 52, leader of the Party of Democratic Revolution, is now predicted to win the coming election in 3 ½ months unless he stumbles spectacularly. Two polls this week showed him a solid 10 points above the other two candidates in a three-way race, with around 40 percent of the vote.

Results of congressional and local elections in Mexico State, the country's most populous, with 14 million people, showed Mr. López Obrador's enormous personal appeal. He campaigned hard for his party's local candidates, and as a result the party made surprising and significant gains in a region where it has traditionally been in third place.

The strength of Mr. López Obrador's campaign is obvious. Unlike the other two candidates, he does not resort to offers of free food or transportation to fill up plazas. He is plain-spoken and direct, using folksy language and blunt accusations about his opponents, calling them chattering birds, thieves and ruffians, making his supporters cover their mouths and giggle.

He has expertly tapped into the widespread belief that politicians and their cronies among the business elite have enriched themselves while the average worker has seen little improvement in his or her day-to-day life.

''You can't have a rich government and an impoverished people,'' he said to crowds on a swing through Oaxaca State this week.

**Oscar Arias will lead Costa Rica after a narrow win over Otton Solis.**

The February 5th presidential election became Costa Rica's hardest-fought vote in the last four decades. Arias is committed to taking Costa Rica into a controversial free trade pact (CAFTA) with the United States. His opponent, Otton Solis, wanted to renegotiate CAFTA arguing that in its current form it would exacerbate poverty and hurt small-scale farmers.

Costa Rica is the only country in the region which has not ratified the deal, which is set to come into effect later this year.

Oscar Arias won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1987 for spearheading talks that led to the end of civil wars in Nicaragua and El Salvador.

Link to above story: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4773220.stm

**Brazil and Chile welcome Rene Preval as Haitian President**

Brazil and Chile - the two Latin American countries leading the UN mission in Haiti - welcomed the election of a new president, Rene Preval. Both countries warned that the international community had to continue to provide assistance.

The 7 February Haitian vote was marred by fraud, which led to days of protests demanding Preval be declared winner. He gained 51% of the vote after a change in the way blank ballots were allocated.

Link to above story: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4723066.stm