Chavez demands support
The week's news at a glance.
Caracas, Venezuela
Venezuela President Hugo Chavez this week told state oil workers that if they don’t back him in the Dec. 3 presidential election, they should “go somewhere else. Go to Miami.” Venezuela’s energy minister, Rafael Ramirez, made a similar threat to executives of PDVSA, the national oil company. “We are supporting Chavez,” Ramirez declared. “Anyone who doesn’t feel comfortable with this orientation needs to give up their seat.” Opposition politicians complained the government was violating a law against using state enterprises for politicking. Chavez denied any wrongdoing, and threatened to cancel broadcast licenses of any TV station that airs a video of Ramirez’s speech, which was taped surreptitiously.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
How the woke right gained power in the US
Under the radar The term has grown in prominence since Donald Trump returned to the White House
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK
-
Codeword: April 24, 2025
The Week's daily codeword puzzle
By The Week Staff
-
Crossword: April 24, 2025
The Week's daily crossword
By The Week Staff