Latin America
Related: About this forumIn socialist Venezuela, a threat from the left .
http://news.yahoo.com/socialist-venezuela-threat-left-151051779.htmlenezuela (AP) Already grappling with street protests led by the right, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is facing a new threat from an unlikely place: old-school leftists who accuse him of betraying the socialist legacy that carried him to power.Maduro was tapped by Hugo Chavez as his preferred successor to the presidency, and is quick to invoke the late leader's name, but orthodox socialists are grumbling over liberalized currency reforms they say are counter to the revolution.
The tensions came to a head last week when Maduro fired Planning Minister Jorge Giordani, a Marxist economist whose Spartan lifestyle and anti-capitalist doctrine earned him the nickname "the Monk." Giordani is not going into forced retirement quietly.
In a lengthy tract published on several websites, he has accused Maduro of undoing Chavez's gains and failing to control his administration, implying corruption and incompetence. It is, he said, "painful and alarming to see a Presidency that does not convey leadership."
what do you say chavistas?
Marksman_91
(2,035 posts)There's a slew of chavistas who are defending Giordani's criticisms against Maduro, while there's another group branding him a traitor (as if criticizing a government is the same as betraying it). What a wondrous display of tolerance and acceptance from the dimwit Maduro
I'm getting a feeling the party's gonna split in half between those who consider themselves true loyalists to Chávez by allying with his oldest friends who are now criticizing Maduro's administration and those who think sticking with Maduro demonstrates the greatest level of loyalty to Chávez. In any case, though, whoever of those 2 groups is in power, Venezuela loses
Bacchus4.0
(6,837 posts)kg4jxt
(30 posts)Maduro is not a leader like Chavez; not charismatic and lacking vision. It has been a long run for him, all things considered, but he is moving toward the center. Chavez, for all his failings, was probably sincere in his efforts to help the poor of Venezuela. Maduro may have the same goals, but he is MORE incompetent! He is starting to flounder. The economy is a wreck, but it is still probable that were Chavez alive, he could find a way forward for Venezuela. Maduro won't be able to do that and chaos will ensue. IMHO