Venezuela police are out in force in Caracas

Demonstrators have marched on the capital from six different directions.

Protests have erupted in the last week over the electoral council's refusal to authenticate hundreds of thousands of signatures collected by the opposition.

Extra police were deployed ahead of Saturday's march and civilians have been banned from carrying firearms.

At least eight people have been killed in anti-government protests in recent days.



Dressed in the yellow, blue and red colours of Venezuela's flag, protesters blew whistles and chanted anti-Chavez slogans as they marched towards the centre of Caracas.

"We're prepared to take to the streets a thousand times until we're allowed the recall referendum," opposition leader Henry Ramos Allup said.

"Nobody is going to rob us of our right to oust Hugo Chavez peacefully," he added.

At least 2.4 million signatures are required to trigger a referendum on the president. The opposition says it has collected 3.2 million.

But the electoral council ruled last week that only 1.8 million were valid.

It ordered 1 million people to confirm that they completed the petition form, because they were said to have violated procedural rules.

Another 140,000 signatures were rejected outright.

Chavez's ineptitude in fulfilling his promises of changing the corrupt and inefficient ways of previous governments has:

Produced the worst fiscal crisis for the past 20 years

Increased unemployment, inflation, poverty and malnutrition

Raised crime, impunity, and nepotism to much higher levels

Undermined the national oil company's production capacity. [Venezuela is the fifth largest oil producer in the world, and its economy is heavily dependent on oil.]

However, these are not the reasons Chavez should go. There are many inefficient democratic governments in the world, and people just have to wait until their time is over to change them!

Instead, Hugo Chavez should be recalled from office because he is implementing the radical views he has held since his coup attempt in 1992.

He is gradually installing an authoritarian regime in Venezuela that systematically violates the constitution and the democratic separation of powers. He has:

Attacked and discredited the Supreme Court when it has not ruled in his favour

Publicly ordered civilian and military authorities to disregard and disobey any court decisions that run contrary to his will

Arranged for the pro-government Constitutional Court to modify the law that establishes the Supreme Court's composition - which will give Chavez total control over it, by appointing 10 more pro-government judges

Organised and financed armed pro-government groups which repeatedly attack and intimidate members of the opposition

Formed alliances with the leaders of rogue states accused of violating human rights and of fomenting terrorism (Iraq, Iran, Libya, and Chavez's close ally, Fidel Castro of Cuba)

Forged ties with irregular and subversive forces in the region, such as the Colombian guerrillas.

Above all, Chavez is not a democrat. His radical revolution is leading Venezuela to the abyss of civil war.

Why do you believe that spooks like your sorry ass are allowed here at IMC?

"Produced the worst fiscal crisis for the past 20 years "

"Increased unemployment, inflation, poverty and malnutrition "

"Raised crime, impunity, and nepotism to much higher levels "

"He is gradually installing an authoritarian regime... that systematically violates the constitution and the democratic separation of powers. "

"Publicly ordered civilian and military authorities to disregard and disobey any court decisions that run contrary to his will "

"Organised and financed armed pro-government groups which repeatedly attack and intimidate members of the opposition"

"Formed alliances with the leaders of rogue states accused of violating human rights and of fomenting terrorism"

"Forged ties with irregular and subversive forces in the region"

American friends, does this seem a familiar scenario to you? Well, have you ever seen Bush & Chavez together?

Chavez was elected.

His people; at least the majority, the lower class, love him.