Chavez takes steps to stay in power indefinitely

The authoritarian tendencies of Hugo 'don't-call-me-a-dictator' Chavez are on display again this week. According to the New York Times, the Venezuelan president is on the point of announcing a constitutional reform that will 'allow him to be re-elected indefinitely'. The report goes on:

The removal of term limits for Mr. Chavez, which is at the heart of the proposal, is expected to be accompanied by measures circumscribing the authority of elected governors and mayors, who would be prevented from staying in power indefinitely, according to versions of the project leaked in recent weeks.

According to the country's communications minister Willian Lara, Chavez is unlikely to face much opposition from the National Assembly, where all 167 lawmakers apparently support the president. In true Orwellian fashion, Mr. Lara went on to explain that the aim of the change is 'to guarantee to the people the largest amount of happiness possible'.

I wonder how the 'Hands Off Venezuela' campaign, and their supporters in the trade union movement, who shamefully supported Chavez' recent censorship of the media, will respond?