Chavez foe seen victim of anti-Semitism in Venezuela Reuters February 17, 2012 By Andrew Cawthorne Two prominent U.S.-based Jewish organizations condemned on Friday as anti-Semitism a wave of verbal and written attacks by President Hugo Chavez’s supporters against Venezuela’s opposition leader. Henrique Capriles, the grandson of Polish Jews who survived the Holocaust, has faced a barrage of insults since winning the Democratic Unity coalition’s presidential candidacy on Sunday. One that caused particular outrage was a…
Despite housing pledges from Chavez, Venezuela’s homeless call racetrack home The Washington Post February 16, 2012 By Juan Forero CARACAS, Venezuela – The chestnut-colored 3-year-olds still take the turns hard and fast on the dirt track at La Rinconada, the once-elegant racing park inaugurated in 1959 as Venezuela began its oil-fueled heyday. But these days, dozens of homeless families live under the vast concrete grandstands, moved by President Hugo Chavez’s government into cramped cubicles to…
As expected, Henrique Capriles Radonski won Venezuela’s first-ever presidential primary yesterday, garnering 62 percent of the vote. However, Venezuela’s voters exceeded expectations, as nearly three million of the nation’s 18 million registered voters participated in the election. Opposition officials were characterizing a turnout of two million voters as successful. Long lines formed at polling stations throughout the country, even in neighborhoods that have traditionally been strongholds of President Hugo Chávez. After more than 1.8 million…