MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

“Chavism” is non existent, “it's a president with a checkbook”

Chilean former president Ricardo Lagos denied the existence of “Chavism” (President Chavez ideology) both in Venezuela and in the rest of Latinamerica but rather “a charismatic president with a lot of money available and who lacks a solid political support”.

In an interview published in El Universal from Mexico City where he's participating in a political forum, Mr. Lagos said that "he would love to see all countries with what President Chavez has: a checkbook", because if so "things in the region would be so much easier". However he was quick to point out that the "populism" of Venezuela's president on the "long term does not pay because it does not have a solid foundation". The former Chilean president who was one of the main speakers at the forum: "Latinamerica: ¿integration or fragmentation", sponsored by the Mayan Group, said political populism is not a "quick exit" for the social and economic problems faced by any country. When a country does not advance "there's always someone who believes populism is the answer, that there's a short cut for happiness, but there's not such a short cut", underlined Lagos who was Chilean president between 2000/2006. There are no miracles, what is needed is "hard work but based on the principle that social conditions must improve overall". Only with "social cohesion" among all its population can countries avoid social tension and have the feeling that the country is moving ahead, "for the benefit of all". Finally Lagos said it is necessary for Latinamerica to learn from integration processes such as that of the European Union, because country members fully understood that "an integration process does not mean that the same economic model applies to all or is good for all". "Latinamericans have yet not learnt to distinguish or perceive this", emphasized the former Chilean Socialist leader who in 2005 virtually imposed on the ruling coalition as candidate to succeed him, current president Michelle Bachelet.