MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Chavez celebrates 12 years in office and anticipates six more

The Bolivarian revolution leader: “I ask forgiveness for my mistakes, but…”

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez celebrated Wednesday his twelfth anniversary in power saying he is ready to battle for six more years in elections next year. Chavez said in a televised speech that “the battle has begun” for his 2012 re-election.

Chavez touted his programs by visiting a school and a state-run supermarket. He also apologized for his errors, saying much remains to be done as he seeks to lead Venezuela toward socialism.

The race is likely to be more challenging than some the leftist-populist Chavez has faced in the past: he no longer has a lock on the legislature, and staggering violent crime rates have Venezuelans jittery.

“Twelve years on, I ask forgiveness for my mistakes,” the ex-paratrooper said in an address on state television and radio.

“But, I think that beyond my mistakes and errors, in these 12 years my comrades, with me in the lead, we have taken responsibility for a certain brand of hope that I want us to renew today,” Chavez said. “So let's renew everything so that we can keep making progress down the path the people have put us on.”

Chavez, a harsh critic of the United States and staunch ally of the Castro brothers’ regime in Cuba, insisted he was sure he would win a new term in 2012, even though he said the race “already has begun, and is going to be a tough one and a good one.”

He also scoffed at critics portrayals of what they see as him digging in to unduly extend his time in power.

“I have read a lot of news stories saying that Chavez has been in power 12 years and is trying to cling to power. But let's keep something in mind: there have been elections here. We have won them, over and over, with complete transparency,” Chavez claimed.

Thanks to a constitutional amendment passed during his time in office, in 2009, Venezuela now allows unlimited re-election for all public offices.

Looking back at more than a decade in power, Chavez hailed a massive literacy campaign and improving nutrition for the poor as key achievements; he said his current challenges were reducing violent crime and providing every Venezuelan a home.

Venezuela, with almost 30 million people, had a staggering 17,600 murders last year and the economy experienced a record 30% inflation.