MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Chavez promises to stay on until 2021

Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez said this Friday that he will be involved in politics until 2021 when he'll be 67. However Mr. Chávez was also quiet clear that he has no intention of leaving office until then.

"I'll be in power until 2021 and then I'll take time off" underlined the president during the inauguration of a housing program in one of Caracas, the country's capital, poorer districts. Actually each house costs the equivalent of 15,000 US dollars but tenants will only be paying 1,250 US dollars in the next twenty years.

This way president Chavez was also suggesting a new constitutional reform since he can only remain in office, if re-elected in 2006, until 2013.

Nevertheless a growing opposition is confident they can push Mr. Chávez out of office by next year if they are victorious in a recall referendum to be held sometime between November 28 and December 1, 2004. But the opposition must before collect sufficient signatures, equivalent to 20% of the Electoral Roll, to convene the referendum which Mr. Chavez believes is not attainable.

If the president is finally forced out, the opposition expects to put in office for the rest of the mandate until 2006, the current governor of the state of Miranda, Enrique Mendoza, who Mr. Chávez has described as "incompetent and coup-monger".

In mid 2004 Venezuela will be holding elections to renew governors and "we will have to kick out the coup-monger Mendoza, who besides is completely incompetent", said Mr. Chavez who has his own candidate for the job, one of his most loyal members, Diosadado Cabello who also happens to be Infrastructure Minister.

Actually Mr. Chávez has reinforced the infrastructure budget for the state of Miranda which includes housing programs, waterworks, electricity, schools, medical clinics which obviously will be managed by his trusted Mr. Cabello.