Hugo Chávez, 2004 News

leftist president of Venezuela, survived a recall referendum in August, with about 58% of voters opting to retain him. Over the past few years, the opposition has launched several national strikes against Chávez, claiming he's an ideologue who has stacked the courts and circumvented the legislative process to enact expensive social programs. He draws most of his support from the country's legion of poor.


2004 People in the News