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Chavez
greets his supporters next to a poster of the Cuban revolution
hero Ernesto "Che" Gevara.
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CARACAS,
June 30 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - An estimated 200,000
Venezuelans marched Saturday, June 29, in a show of support for the
country’s President, Hugo Chavez.
Supporters
came from all over the country for the demonstrations - the largest
since Chavez was briefly removed from power during a failed coup in
April. Since then, the Venezuelan leader's popularity has soared in
the opinion polls.
Addressing
the crowd, Chavez said the rally was not meant to threaten his
opponents. He made a call for peace and said the rally was a huge
demonstration of love, BBC’s online news service reported.
But
he also reiterated to the cheering crowd his challenge for opponents
to oust him legally, not with a coup.
“If
they hold a recall referendum for me and I lose, I will go,” Chavez
said in his first public speech since regaining power April 14, Agence
France-Presse (AFP) reported.
Despite
Venezuela's economic and political crisis, the government described
the rally as a popular referendum of support for Chavez.
There
was a party atmosphere in the crowd with many of Chavez' supporters
dancing to the rhythms of African style drums.
One
of Caracas' largest streets was filled with the president's followers,
many of whom wore copies of Chavez's trademark red beret and waved
Venezuelan flags, BBC said.
For
many of Venezuela's poor, who make up more than half the population,
Chavez is a hero. One supporter, Ivonne Garcia, told BBC he is the
first president to look after their needs.
Some
3,000 police and soldiers provided security for the march amid rumors
of a possible attempt to assassinate the populist former paratrooper.
Chavez
still faces concerted opposition from the business sector, trade
unions and much of the country's middle class, many of who do not
believe him.
Opposition
backed lawyers have lodged a string of legal proceedings against
President Chavez and rumors continue to swirl around Caracas that
disgruntled military officers may be preparing another coup against
him, BBC reported.
Opponents
removed Chavez from power April 12 after bloody street fighting on the
third day of a general strike. Chavez returned to power less than 48
hours later after key military leaders withdrew support for the
interim government of businessman Pedro Carmona, who had dismissed the
National Assembly, comptroller, human rights ombudsman and Supreme
Court.
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Venezuelans
packed the center of Caracas in a big show of strength aimed
at countering opposition challenges against Chavez. |
The
political crisis lingers in Venezuela as lawmakers investigate the
events surrounding the coup and the president's moves to consolidate
his power by replacing military officers who plotted against him.
Opponents
-- who say the only way out of the crisis is if Chavez goes -- would
have to convince a majority of the National Assembly to agree to a
recall vote at the midpoint of Chavez's term in August 2003 -- an
unlikely event since 86 of the assembly's 165 members support the
president.
Meanwhile,
a Carter Center official announced Saturday in Caracas that former
U.S. president Jimmy Carter will visit Venezuela July 6-10 to foster
dialogue aimed at defusing tensions after April’s coup attempt, AFP
reported.
Earlier
this month, the Carter Center announced that it would send a
fact-finding mission to the South American nation to assess whether
Carter could effectively promote a national dialogue.
Jennifer
McCoy, director of the center's Americas program, said the mission --
which arrived in Caracas Tuesday and was gearing up to leave Saturday
-- found it useful to continue dialogue in Venezuela and therefore
recommended that Carter visit the country.
The
Caracas government had asked Carter to smooth over political
differences which led to a coup that removed President Hugo Chavez
from power for two days in April.
Chavez
has rejected help from both Washington and the Organization of
American States, but welcomed Carter.
Carter
founded the center in the southern state of Georgia, where he formerly
served as governor.
Since
leaving the presidency in 1980, Carter has facilitated dialogue in
North Korea and Bosnia, and, most recently, he became the first former
or sitting U.S. president to visit Cuba since its 1959 revolution.
