International Governments and Movements Show Solidarity with Venezuela’s Chavez Ahead of Elections

Caracas, September 27 2012 (Venezuelanalysis.com) –  Presidents, politicians and various solidarity groups have sent public messages of support for current Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and the  Bolivarian revolution ahead of next Sunday’s presidential election.

Many of the statements praised the Bolivarian revolution for having given renewed importance to the debate on the relevance of socialism today and for providing an example of an alternative kind of political system for the world.

“We study the policies of the Bolivarian government in order to write our programme,” said François Delapierre, National Secretary of Luc Melenchon’s “Left Party” in France, who stated he believed that the Venezuelan revolution was a “source of inspiration for the global left”.

Delapierre’s colleague, Corinne Morel Darleux also went on to state that crisis-stricken Europe should follow the example set by Venezuela, which had presented a “new option” to the world.

“In Europe, we want to take the path of Venezuela, so resources are managed as a public good to generate social progress, so that there is a real redistribution (of wealth) and that the needs of the population are met,” she said. Both Delapierre and Darleux recently travelled to Caracas to attend the forum “Neo-liberalism of the Old World vs. Socialism of the New World” and were interviewed by state news channel AVN.

Both Argentinian President, Cristina Kirchner, and Uruguayan President, Pepe Mujica, also added their voices to the international comments in support of the Venezuelan president earlier this week.

While Mujica said that he believed Venezuela’s future would be “complicated” if Chavez didn’t win, Kirchner strongly rejected criticism of Chavez’s commitment to democracy.

When asked at a conference in Georgetown, USA, whether Chavez would respect the results of the October elections, Kircher replied that there was “no precedent” to doubt the incumbent president.

“There can’t be any other Latin American president who has won so many elections,” said Kirchner. “I debate a lot with Hugo (Chavez), but I don’t think it’s possible to debate the democratic credibility of the president,” she added.

As the election draws nearer, various solidarity groups are organising rallies and events aimed at drawing attention to the Venezuelan elections and supporting the revolutionary process against possible intervention from abroad. Events were held this week in Houston, USA and Toronto, Canada.

One of the largest events was staged by the UK’s Venezuela Solidarity Campaign (VSC) in London, which was attended by over 300 activists.

“It was a very positive atmosphere, with people acknowledging that Venezuela shows a way forward in contrast to what is happening in Europe,” VSC activist Lee Brown told Venezuelanalysis.com.

Many British academics and activists spoke at the rally, including author Richard Gott and anti-war activist Kate Hudson, who described Venezuela as a “beacon of peace and social progress in the world”.

Meanwhile,  almost 10 million people from over 100 countries have signed a statement drawn up by the Cuban branch of the Defence of Humanity Network in support of Hugo Chavez and the Bolivarian revolution ahead of the elections.

The Irish Venezuela Network also released a statement calling for support of the Venezuelan electoral process and rejecting any foreign intervention in Venezuela’s affairs. It was supported by Irish politicians, trade unionists and cultural figures.

Various solidarity brigades from across the globe, including from  Australia, Germany and Great Britain, are arriving to Caracas this week in order to observe the national elections. Many are eager to celebrate a Chavez victory.