Venezuelan govt targets disaffected ex-supporters

[Bacchus4.0]

http://news.yahoo.com/venezuelan-govt-targets-disaffected-ex-supporters-180937808.html

TACARIGUA, Venezuela (AP) — The razor-close vote to replace late Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has sparked what opposition leaders and human rights groups say is a government crackdown on public employees who either didn't back Chavez's hand-picked successor or failed to show sufficient support for the ruling party.

The April 14 election had revealed a major shift in public support away from the Chavez program as problems such as food shortages, soaring inflation and crime, as well as the absence of the late leader's famous charm, led hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans to back the opposition for the first time since Chavez took power 14 years ago. It was an ominous start for successor Nicolas Maduro's government, which is struggling to write the second chapter of the country's socialist transformation amid deepening economic problems and widening divisions in a bureaucracy and public that once solidly backed Chavez.

Several high-ranking government officials have openly discussed punishing political disloyalty among government employees. On top of that, the human rights wing of the coalition opposition headed by Gov. Henrique Capriles says it has received more than 300 complaints of people being fired from government jobs on suspicion of having voted for leading opposition presidential candidate Capriles, who lost to Maduro by only 1.8 percentage points in official results. Another 1,000 or so public workers have complained about intimidation from supervisors and threats of punishment for supporting the opposition, the opposition's rights office said.

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Those denials (by the government, my addition) , however, conflict with a video posted on YouTube Saturday showing Housing Minister Ricardo Molina meeting with apparent co-workers and demanding complete political loyalty despite a legal prohibition against sanctioning workers for their political beliefs.

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He added: "They need to quit. Because if they don't quit I personally will fire them."

[Warren Stupidity]

1. how very sad for you, another fair and open election, another loss for

the wealthy elites and their cronies. How very very sad.

[naaman fletcher]

2. agreed

So let's fire everyone who voted for the opposition and deny them services, right?

[Bacchus4.0]

4. its the chavista way or the highway n/t

s

[Bacchus4.0]

3. I'll get over it, I don't have to live or work there n/t

s

[Tempest]

5. By AP's Vivian Sequera *snicker*

You really should investigate your sources.

Or is that just something Liberals do?

[Bacchus4.0]

6. you can go check out the you tube video if you like

I'll assume you won't though.