Desde el 11 de marzo de 2012, nuestro blog está en nuestra nueva página web: monitoreociudadano.org

As of March 11, 2012, our blog has moved to our new website: monitoreociudadano.org

Hugo Chávez’ Illegal Campaign Attacking Henrique Capriles on State TV and National Broadcasts*** (Video, 2min) It is an abuse of power and a violation of the Venezuelan Constitution and anti-corruption law for President Hugo Chávez and other government officials to repeatedly utilize State TV and National Blanket Broadcasts*** to attack opposition presidential candidate Henrique Capriles.

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In this 2 minute clip from February 15, 2012 at 1pm, Chávez takes advantage of another National Blanket Broadcast*** to draw a clear distinction between himself and his presidential opponent of the United Democratic Alternative (MUD), Henrique Capriles. —- Video: http://youtu.be/tkPpAJQLLck

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Illegally utilizing public resources via the State communications machinery, Chávez indicates that Hugo Chávez the “choice of the people”, of “strength and power”, and of “Motherland (Patria)”.

Chávez indicates that a vote for Capriles, however, is a vote for the same old “capitalist”, “retrograde” and “anti-Motherland” “bourgeoisie”.

More videos of Chávez’ abuse of power: http://youtube.com/yomonitoreo
More of our news in English: http://yomonitoreo.tumblr.com/tagged/english

The Law
As a public official, President Hugo Chávez must be “at the service of the State and not of any bias”.*

Utilizing the National Blanket Broadcast of Radio and Television, Chávez has the obligation to represent all legitimate political tendencies and not to air electoral propaganda.

Appropriate use of the National Blanket Broadcast*** is to inform the nation of State affairs, without attacking or criticizing opponents or waging an election campaign.

“Any public official abusing his functions, using his government position to do electoral favor or harm to a candidate, group, political party or movement, will be sanctioned with a prison sentence of 1 year to 3 years.”**

*Article 145, Constitution of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela

**Article 68, Anti-Corruption Law of Venezuela

***In Venezuela, a ‘national chain’ broadcast (Cadena Nacional de Radio y Televisión) is an obligatory National Blanket Broadcast that—by law—must be aired by all domestic radio and television stations. Not all countries have an equivalent (US, UK, etc.) and the mechanism allows President Chávez to commandeer the airwaves at any time for as long as he wishes. He gives speeches for hours, sings and chants with members of his government and political party. Recently and in violation of the Venezuelan Constitution and anti-corruption law, Chávez has been blatantly utilizing the National Blanket Broadcast in order to kick-off his presidential election campaign.

Monitoreo Ciudadano (Citizen Monitoring) is a citizen initiative and NGO dedicated to monitoring and exposing the abuse of power and public resources by the Venezuelan government in efforts to illegally influence Venezuelan elections. —- President Hugo Chávez has in recent months abused both State TV and obligatory nationwide blanket broadcasts (cadena nacional) on multiple occasions to support his candidacy for president and attack his opponent. —- Citizen Monitoring uses the Twitter hashtag #AbusoPoder (Abuse of Power) to register complaints. Follow us at @yomonitoreo

Fuente: youtu.be

NGO ‘Citizen Monitoring’ Condemns Hugo Chávez Presidential Campaign Violations (El Universal)

Desde el 11 de marzo de 2012, nuestro blog está en nuestra nueva página web: monitoreociudadano.org

As of March 11, 2012, our blog has moved to our new website: monitoreociudadano.org

Venezuelan law demands prison time for using public resources to campaign.

The organization Citizen Monitoring (Monitoreo Ciudadano) alerts that the Venezuela National System of Public Media is continuously being used by Hugo Chávez for presidential election propaganda and campaigning. The regulated campaign officially begins on July 1, while campaigning with public resources is illegal both before and after that date.

On their website http://monitoreociudadano.org and YouTube channel, one can watch video clips—taken from official broadcasts—as evidence of the utilization of State media for campaign propaganda. One can also subscribe to email updates in English at http://bit.ly/Aprg8f

Quoting the Venezuelan Constitution in their biweekly newsletter, Citizen Monitoring explains how, as a public official, “President Hugo Chávez must be ‘at the service of the State and show no political bias’.”

Citizen Monitoring also reminds the Venezuelan public as well as the international community that Venezuelan legal code establishes that “any public official abusing his functions, using his government position to do electoral favor or harm to a candidate, group, political party or movement, will be sanctioned with a prison sentence of 1 year to 3 years” (Venezuela Anti-corruption Law).

Citizen Monitoring (Monitoreo Ciudadano)—their twitter account in English is @StateMedia—is a citizen initiative dedicated to monitoring and exposing the abuse of power and public resources by the Venezuelan government in efforts to illegally influence Venezuelan elections. President Hugo Chávez has in recent months abused State television, radio and obligatory Nationwide Blanket Broadcasts (cadena nacional) on multiple occasions to support his candidacy for president and attack his opponent from the United Democratic Alternative (MUD).

Currently, Citizen Monitoring focuses on State television channels Venezuelan Television (VTV) and National Assembly Television (ANTV, official channel of the national legislature). They also are a member of the legislative monitoring project, Legislative Monitor (Monitor Legislativo). —- Original article at http://goo.gl/8tE6H

More Citizen Monitoring in English at http://yomonitoreo.tumblr.com/tagged/english

Fuente: monitoreociudadano.org

Campaña en Cadena #4: “Vamos a ganar por ‘knockout’. Vamos a darles otra pela más” #AbusoPoder

(15 y 23 febrero 2pm, Ejemplo #4, 2min) :: Presidente Hugo Chávez hace propaganda electoral ilegal para las elecciones presidenciales del 7 de octubre, abusando de su poder y usando los recursos públicos del Estado. —- Denuncia el ventajismo y exiga una democracia verdadera! Comparte nuestros videos en las redes sociales para denunciarlo! —- Link del video: http://youtu.be/nkHmvK5mmn8

Más clips destacados: http://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7D094F56D24B159D
Más información sobre el clip y las leyes: http://goo.gl/90Wa4

Fuente: youtu.be

Venezuela: Hugo Chavez’ Anti-Semitic Election Campaign (IBTimes)

In Venezuela, the upcoming presidential election has an interesting twist. Socialist Hugo Chavez, who has ruled the oil-rich South American nation for 13 years, will be opposed by Henrique Capriles Radonski.

Chavez and some of his supporters and allies have waged a vicious anti-Semitic campaign against Capriles. The catch, however, is that Capriles is a practicing Catholic — in an overwhelmingly Catholic country.

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Capriles, 39, who was born in Caracas, is the grandson of Jewish immigrants from Russia and Poland who fled Europe during World War II. His maternal great-grandparents died in the Treblinka extermination camp. Regardless of how Capriles identifies himself, his candidacy has unleashed a wave of anti-Jewish sentiments in Venezuela, a country with a long history of anti-Semitism.

While serving as governor of Miranda, Venezuela’s second-largest state, he endured an onslaught of anti-Jewish vitriol from Chavez supporters. […]

Chavez may also have a personal grudge against Capriles. In 2004, Capriles spent four months in jail on charges related to an attempted coup against Chavez two years earlier. In a speech to lawmakers, referring directly to Capriles, Chavez once blustered: “You are not going to be able to disguise yourself, even if you look for advisers, masks. Dress yourself up however you dress yourself up. Pig’s tail, pig’s ears, pig’s nose: It’s a pig.”

Moreover, when Capriles ran for governor in 2008, the Chavez-controlled media described Capriles as a member of the “Jewish-Zionist bourgeoisie” and bizarrely, even “genetically fascist.” Capriles has even been labeled a “Nazi” by some Chavez cohorts.

“They came here and they called me ‘Nazi,’ when my grandmother was in the Warsaw Ghetto,” Capriles told The Forward newspaper. “My great-grandparents were killed in a concentration camp. My grandmother’s mother and father were killed by the Nazis in Treblinka.” Some publications have even photo-shopped a Star of David onto Capriles’ face. […]

Meanwhile, Chavez has a long and unsavory record against the country’s Jews. Chavez in a Christmas 2005 speech directly attacked the Jews when he ominously said, “Some minorities, the descendants of the people who crucified Christ, [who] seized the riches of the world. … A minority has taken possession all of the wealth of the world.” Chavez has also repeatedly vilified Israel while cultivating close relations with anti-Semites like Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. […]

Shimon Samuels, director of international relations at the Simon Wiesenthal Center, wrote in a letter to Chavez, “We urge President Chavez to put an end to this campaign that will surely become more threatening as the election date approaches. Chavez carries the ultimate responsibility for his own media outlets and can personally stop their hate-mongering.” —- Original article by Palash Ghosh at International Business Times

Fuente: ibtimes.com

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Subscribe to our English language newsletter via email or check out the RSS feed directly for the latest news and videos on Hugo Chávez’ abuse of public resources in his 2012 presidential campaign. Please help us spread the word by suggesting the newsletter to the international press, friends and colleagues.

Monitoreo Ciudadano (Citizen Monitoring) is a citizen initiative and NGO dedicated to monitoring and exposing the abuse of power and public resources by the Venezuelan government in efforts to illegally influence Venezuelan elections. —- President Hugo Chávez has in recent months abused both State TV and obligatory nationwide blanket broadcasts (cadena nacional) on multiple occasions to support his candidacy for president and attack his opponent. —- Citizen Monitoring uses the Twitter hashtag #AbusoPoder (Abuse of Power) to register complaints. Follow us in English at @StateMedia

Fuente: feeds.feedburner.com