Stuart Munckton & Roberto Jorquera
On June 21, Venezuelan interior minister Jesse Chacon announced that Venezuelan security had uncovered a plot to assassinate President Hugo Chavez. He said the plot was linked to those who organised an unsuccessful 2002 coup against Chavez.
Earlier this year, Chavez accused Washington, which supported to coup, of plotting to assassinate him and threatened to cut off oil sales to the US in case of an attempt on his life.
Although opposition-aligned private media has been speculating that there are divisions within the Venezuelan Armed Forces (FAN), the government has insisted that the plot is not linked in anyway to the FAN.
Claiming that "concerns for Chavez's life are at an all time high", a June 14 Venezuela Analysis article reported that Venezuela's annual June 24 independence day parade by the FAN had been cancelled, because evidence had been uncovered of a plot to assassinate Chavez during the parade. This is only the second time in Venezuelan history that the parade, which celebrates the liberation of Venezuela from Spanish rule in 1821, has been cancelled. The pro-Chavez newspaper Diario Vea reported on June 15 that snipers of Colombian origin had been discovered by local residents in a building that overlooked the stage Chavez was due to speak on.
The June 21 Diaro Vea reported that local residents also uncovered the presence of Colombian paramilitary groups in the states of Lara and Portuguesa attempting to pass themselves off as peasants.
In response to the threats, Chavez has announced that he will be cutting down his public appearances. Chavez is renown for his willingness to speak directly to the Venezuelan people and averages 40 hours of televised appearances a week, many at public events.
Chacon claimed that with polls putting support for Chavez at around 70% — thanks to government social programs that have increased the living standards of the poor by one third, according to a May 31 Venezuela Analysis study — the plot is a sign of his opponents' desperation.
From Green Left Weekly, June 29, 2005.
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