MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

President-preacher administration 10 year list of “records”

Chavez celebrates his “marriage” with the mike

Examples of loquacity, extensive traveling and nepotism are some of the records that the Miami based Spanish language daily “Nuevo Herald” has collected as a “present” extended to the controversial Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez on his 54th birthday, celebrated on Monday July 28th.

"Compared to other Venezuelan democratic presidents, Chavez has managed to accumulate the most power, has traveled the most and has talked the most", points out Nuevo Herald based on a report from Professor Antonio Pasquali. According to Prof Pasquali President Chavez, between February 1999 and May 2008 has talked to media a total of 2.544 hours. Chavez has his own program "Hello President" and on occasions when feeling inspired, can go on for hours. Pasquali describes this phenomenon as "a new generation dictatorial pathology, that of the President-preacher". Another record of President Chavez is his overseas travels, which according to opposition leader Carlos Eduardo Berrizbeitia add to 450 days in his ten years in office. And when he travels his delegation is never less than a hundred people between "relatives, journalists, ministers, militants, doctors and bodyguards". Although the Venezuelan economy has been growing steadily based on the price of oil, (Venezuela's main export and revenue source) which has shot from 9 US dollars a barrel in 1999 to 120 US dollars currently, one of the country's main problems has been the poor income distribution and the high level of indebtedness. Venezuela's foreign debt currently stands above 40 billion US dollars and domestic debt 30 billion, totaling 70 billion, "the highest ever in the history of the country", according to the Miami newspaper which is no friend of Mr. Chavez. Another negative statistics is law and order and street violence, with homicides in ten years increasing 184%, far higher than in Brazil, Mexico, Colombia and Argentina, all countries where precisely crime has been on sustained surge. Nepotism is another prolific area with over twenty direct relatives in key regional, national and international posts plus another 40 relatives and close friends in legislative seats. However Chavez who has held the presidential seat on successive democratic elections has been unable to become the most popular leader in Venezuela's history: the honor belongs to Jaime Lusinchi who was president from 1984 to 1989. The records: 2.544 hours talking with the media equivalent to 106 days; 450 days overseas traveling, equivalent to one year and three months, more than any other Venezuelan leader. Overseas travels have cost the Treasury 55 million US dollars without counting the money actually given or promised during the trips. However the economy expanded 8.4% in 2007; twelve month inflation to June was 32.2% the highest in five years and the fastest among the world's leading 79 economies. Foreign and domestic debt stands at over 70 billion US dollars, the highest ever. Foreign direct investment last year was 646 million US dollars compared to 6.2 billion US dollars in 1997.