MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Majority of Venezuelans don't believe in the “Socialist way”

A majority of Venezuelans support the performance of President Hugo Chavez administration, according to the latest opinion poll from Datanalisis published Monday in Caracas main dailies.

The approval percentage has been growing gradually but consistently since the recall referendum of August 15, 2004 which president Chavez finally defeated with 59% of the vote, when his standing at the time was 59,2%.

The evaluation question of President Chavez' performance for the "wellbeing of the country" had several options stretching from very good to rejection. Actually rejection level reached 27% of interviews.

As to the degree of confidence in Mr. Chavez leadership, the poll showed 58,2%.

The public opinion poll was taken between February 19 and March 2, involving 1,300 people with a margin error of 2,95%.

As to reactions to President Chavez announcement that his administration would lead the country to "the Socialist model of century XXI", 35% said they believed he was committed to trying to set up a "Socialist system", but 54,8%, simply discarded the option, according to the report.

A similar percentage, 33,5% of Venezuelans believes president Chavez wants to impose a system similar to that in Cuba under Fidel Castro, but 59,6% do not accept that possibility.

Actually 74% of those who oppose President Chavez believe he will change the government system moving it towards a Socialist regime, while only 19% of Mr. Chavez followers are in the same line but 75% of "chavistas" simply discard any chance of the project moving ahead.

Last Sunday in his May 1 speech, Mr. Chavez insisted in inviting all of Venezuela "to march along the Socialist way of the new century, a new Socialism of XXI century", which will not follow the models of Yugoslavia, Soviet Union, Vietnam or Cuba.

The report shows that the clue to Mr. Chavez Socialist programs acceptance is based on the so called "Missions", among which health services mission for the poor and the food mission which delivers basic food staples with a 40% rebate.

Opponents on the other hand are concerned with corruption, political violence and the lack of support for private investment.

But all of these issues virtually do not concern the majority of Venezuelans: corruption 4,6%; political violence 3,3%; lack of private investment 1,1% and "political intolerance", always claimed by the opposition as sin of sins, doesn't even figure as a concern.