Venezuela President Chavez Sunday said the “insane” opposition in
his country is importing Colombian assassins in an attempt to copy
Colombian paramilitary violence in the two states bordering Colombia.
According to Chavez, the two “anti-revolutionary” governments of the Zulia and Tachira states are supporting paramilitary groups to destabilize and overthrow Chavez’ socialist government.
“The counterrevolution is going insane, importing violence, assassins, wanting to replicate that of the paramilitaries, the phenomenon of the Colombian paramilitaries. We are going to prevent this. It is better to prevent than to regret,” Chavez said during his weekly television show ‘Alo Presidente’.
Chavez added that the two opposition states are turning into “paramilitary nests.”
Governors Cesar Peres Vivas (Tachira) and Pablo Perez (Zulia) deny the President’s accusations and say the national government’s “failed” security policy is responsible for the surging murder rate.
“The only one responsible for the situation (…) is the government of Hugo Chavez,” the Tachira governor told French press agency AFP, argueing that the custody of theborder is in hands of the national and not the state government.
Ever since Chavez was elected into power in Venezuela in 1998, Venezuela’s been divided into two polarized camps; that of the socialist administration and the opposition, consisting of the old political elite of the country. in 2002, Chavez survived an attempted coup. Chavez himself is criticized for his alleged autocratic behavior.