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Post by Elie De Beaufour š“ on Mar 5, 2013 4:41:20 GMT -5
(Reuters) - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's breathing problems have worsened and he is suffering from a "severe" new respiratory infection as he struggles to recover from cancer surgery, the government said in a sombre medical update on Monday.
The 58-year-old socialist leader has not been seen in public nor heard from in almost three months since undergoing the operation in Cuba. It was his fourth surgery since the disease was detected in mid-2011. FREE GUIDES AND REPORTS FROM DIANOMI ADVERTISEMENT IG CFDs Access 10,000+ markets including CFDs on shares, indices & forex. Get Started Here
"Today there is a worsening of his respiratory function, related to his depressed immune system. There is now a new, severe infection," Information Minister Ernesto Villegas said, reading the latest brief statement on Chavez's condition.
Chavez made a surprise pre-dawn homecoming two weeks ago with none of the fanfare and celebration that had accompanied previous returns from treatment in Havana. The government said he is now fighting for his life at a Caracas military hospital. Armed guards are providing heavy security outside.
"The president has been receiving high-impact chemotherapy, along with other complementary treatments ... his general condition continues to be very delicate," Villegas said.
Chavez suffered multiple complications after the December 11 surgery, including unexpected bleeding and an earlier severe respiratory infection that officials said had been controlled.
The government said he had trouble speaking because he was breathing through a tracheal tube, but that he was giving orders to ministers by writing them down.
"The commander-president remains clinging to Christ and to life, conscious of the difficulties that he is facing, and complying strictly with the program designed by his medical team," Villegas said.
Chavez had undergone several gruelling rounds of chemotherapy and radiation treatment, which at times left him bald and bloated. He twice wrongly declared himself cured.
The only sight of the former soldier since his latest operation were four photos published by the government while he was still in Havana, showing him lying in a hospital bed.
Following an emotional Mass at the military hospital on Friday, Vice President Nicolas Maduro - Chavez's preferred successor if he is unable to carry on as president - said the president had decided for himself several days earlier that he would return to Venezuela from Cuba.
Chavez was going to begin a "tougher and more intense" phase of his treatment, Maduro said, and he wanted to be in Caracas.
CHAVEZ'S HOMECOMING
Maduro said that included chemotherapy - prompting some in the opposition to question whether chemotherapy can be successfully given to patients in such a delicate state.
The government is furious at rumours in recent days that Chavez might have died, blaming them on an opposition plot by "far-right fascists" to destabilize the OPEC nation, which boasts the world's biggest oil reserves.
"We call on all our people to stay alert, untouched by the psychological war deployed by foreign laboratories with the corrupt Venezuelan right, seeking to generate violence as a pretext for a foreign intervention," Villegas said.
"At this time, unity and discipline are the bases to guarantee political stability," he said, adding that the government was accompanying Chavez's children and other relatives in "this battle full of love and spirituality."
Opposition leaders have accused Maduro of repeatedly lying about the president's real condition. Several dozen anti-government student protesters have chained themselves up in public to demand proof that Chavez is alive and in Venezuela.
"I can't even imagine the party they're going to have tomorrow with this news," pro-Chavez commentator Mario Silva said on state TV on Monday night. "But we all have to keep faith."
Should the Venezuelan leader step down or die, an election would be held within 30 days and would probably pit Maduro against opposition leader Henrique Capriles, who lost to Chavez in a presidential election in October.
The stakes are also high for the rest of Latin America. Chavez has been the most vocal critic of Washington in the region and has funded hefty aid programs for leftist governments from Bolivia to Cuba.
(Additional reporting by Patricia Velez; Editing by Kieran Murray and Christopher Wilson)
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Post by Manualex on Mar 5, 2013 10:51:34 GMT -5
This is bananas. He shouldn't have gone to elections of his condition was this bad back then. As a venezuelan im disgusted of how the situation has been handed by the goverment, every one who ask about the conditions of the president is against the country.
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Post by Manualex on Mar 5, 2013 17:12:23 GMT -5
He might RIP.
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Post by NYR on Mar 5, 2013 23:52:40 GMT -5
rest in peace? nah-- good riddance to him.
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Post by nahuel89p on Mar 6, 2013 0:46:40 GMT -5
ChƔvez went through 13 elections (all clean and monitored by external observers), overcame a coup d' etat, and improved quality of life of vast majorities.
60% poverty back then. That was possible with the rule of the rich elite running the country. Like elsewhere in Latin America by the end of the 90s.
To the people that are not from Latin America: This area of the world is the most unequal in the world: Historically, our countries were run by rich elites that didn't want to industrialize the country, they just wanted to hold their economical power positions, which were based largely on natural resources for export. And that mean underdeveloped countries, low wages, and non qualified works. From the 70s on, it all worsened when these elites allied with international financial powers, such as IMF, that encouraged reforms to allow capital flows to come in and out, and encouraged external debt as well. And free trade as well, causing unemployment, or low quality employment. All these procesess ended up in the late 90s with poverty, unemployment, and huge crisis. Here in Argentina we had a huge crisis in 2001-2002. Like greece nowadays, but worse.
Working class hero. R.I.P.
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Post by eva on Mar 6, 2013 6:13:18 GMT -5
I feel sorry for the Venezuelan people. It must be a state of uncertainty. Chavez shouldn't have gone for another re-election back in December. I think their ambition for power clouded their minds, and they should have thought about the welfare of their country in what would be the most likely scenario. Here in Argentina we had a huge crisis in 2001-2002. Like greece nowadays, but worse. Argentina is far worse now than it was back in 2001. 30% inflation rate is fucking insane, insecurity, violence... Politicians only gobernate to make themselves rich and keep the minorities happy with a simple subsidy in order for those to vote for them over and over.
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Post by nahuel89p on Mar 6, 2013 8:16:17 GMT -5
I feel sorry for the Venezuelan people. It must be a state of uncertainty. Chavez shouldn't have gone for another re-election back in December. I think their ambition for power clouded their minds, and they should have thought about the welfare of their country in what would be the most likely scenario. Here in Argentina we had a huge crisis in 2001-2002. Like greece nowadays, but worse. Argentina is far worse now than it was back in 2001. 30% inflation rate is fucking insane, insecurity, violence... Politicians only gobernate to make themselves rich and keep the minorities happy with a simple subsidy in order for those to vote for them over and over. No. Unemployment was 25% back then. Poverty was 55% back then. According to Universidad CatĆ³lica Argentina's Observatorio de deuda social (social debt observer of a prestigious private university here), poverty is just 21% now (using own calculations that have nothing to do with official statistics). Unemployment is only one-digit now. According to NGO "Red Solidaria" director's, Juan Carr, this is the moment with the least hunger in the last 25 years. Im carefully giving you data that has nothing to do with government nor official sources. Domestic car sells were 150.000 in 2001. Now it's 850.000 per year. The same applies to meat, mil, motorbikes consumption per capita. Per capita income grew a lot, consumption reach record levels, there was huge investment and profits reached historical maximums. Exports were just 15.000 M usd back then, last year they reached 80.000 M usd. Middle class increased dramatically, according to a Wolrd Bank study released just few months ago. Internal and external tourism increased hugely as well. And we are not achieving this at the expense of debt, unlike other times. 11 new public universities open. 900 scientis back in the country. Science is back on track. 6,5% of GDP goes to education. Back then it was only 2%. And all this in spite of the huge external debt (inherited), that this administration has been paying on the schedule. Now let's be honest. How on earth anyone can be "happy" with merely a state subsidy? You need a job and wage to live happily, here, in australia, spain, everywhere. You can't live on a little cash state program. Nobody can. By the way, I've a degree in political science, and had lot of economics at college. I honestly believe that you are repeating mass media bullshit. If you want more hard data from non-official sources, ask me privately. I've no desires in growing the offtopic.
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Post by eva on Mar 6, 2013 8:45:04 GMT -5
^I'm not repeating mass bullshit. I live in Argentina and I can tell you that the income is not enough. Whatever I spent in just food a few months ago, now I spend the same in a couple of weeks or less. And I don't have extra expenses, I don't buy clothes, I don't smoke, I don't even go to the cinema. Every other month you have tax increases, rent is off the roof.
I don't have political affiliation or anything like that. All political parties seem the same to me. I'm telling you what I see and feel everyday. I've never seen so many people living in the streets before. I'm actually a bit scared to go out alone at night. So I don't believe all those stats, it's very relative.
And of course many people is happy with merely a state subsidy. You sit around all day long, you receive money, free food, free cable, free everything. All you have to do is show up in official acts and show support to make eveyone believe the government is popular. It's all a farse.
But, you're right, we're going off-topic... apologies.
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Post by Manualex on Mar 6, 2013 12:54:13 GMT -5
I don't think Chavez goverment was a good administration when you think that 1) In the history of Venezuela this 14 year period has collected more money than the rest of their history with the sell of petrol 2) The Bolivar/dollar went from 4.5 Bolivares(or 0.0045 Bolivares Fuertes and without control de cambio) per Dollar to 6500 Bolivares(or 6.5 Bolivares fuertes after the reconvertion) per Dollar in the same amount of time, and with a control de cambio(dunno the term in english, but eva knows of it, in Argentina there's one as well), and a Black market where you can but it for 20 Bolivares fuertes(20000 old Bolivares) per dollar. 3) When you don't produce the things your country need you need to buy them from other countries,right? Well we are in a middle of a crisis thanks to it, we have to qeque for chicken, corn oil, papertoilet and other products. If the goverment had helped the small farms in here instead of buying the products we would have a better economy.
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Post by eva on Mar 6, 2013 13:55:59 GMT -5
2) The Bolivar/dollar went from 4.5 Bolivares(or 0.0045 Bolivares Fuertes and without control de cambio) per Dollar to 6500 Bolivares(or 6.5 Bolivares fuertes after the reconvertion) per Dollar in the same amount of time, and with a control de cambio(dunno the term in english, but eva knows of it, in Argentina there's one as well), and a Black market where you can but it for 20 Bolivares fuertes(20000 old Bolivares) per dollar. I believe it's called dollar exchange rate. It's increasing rapidly here as well. You have the "official" exchange rate and a parallel/Black market one. You can't buy dollars at the official rate. You need to do countless paperwork and they will give you only a handful. I remember 3-4 years ago a friend of my brother's vacationed in Venezuela and the first thing he commented was how there were "2 different dollars". We should have seen it coming...
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Post by Deleted on Mar 23, 2013 12:11:10 GMT -5
rest in peace? nah-- good riddance to him. i didn't expect that from you.
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