Venezuelans Wary of Chávez's Ties with Castro


August 30, 2005
Venezuelans Wary of Chávez's Ties with Castro

(Angus Reid Global Scan) - Many adults in Venezuela believe Hugo Chávez is
wrong to see Cuba as a model, according to a poll by Datanálisis published
in El Universal. 76.3 per cent of respondents disagree with their president's
decision to take the regime of Fidel Castro as an example.
Chávez has been in office since February 1999. In July 2000, he was elected
to a six-year term with 59.5 per cent of all cast ballots. In August 2004,
Chávez won a referendum on his tenure with 59 per cent of the vote. The
special election was called after opposition organizations gathered 2.5
million signatures to force a recall ballot.
In 2003, the Chávez government launched a Cuba-designed literacy campaign.
Venezuela-the fifth-largest oil exporter in the world-sends crude to Cuba in
exchange for the services of Cuban doctors, who work in 3,000 neighbourhood
clinics.
On Aug. 23, Chávez announced a joint program with Cuba which seeks to
provide free health care to close to 6 million people over the next 20
years, saying, "This offer also includes the United States. So I call upon
all U.S. citizens who cannot afford eye surgery to go to the Venezuelan
embassy in Washington and look for help, since Cuba does not have an embassy
there."

Polling Data
What is your position on Venezuela taking the regime of Fidel Castro as an
example?
Jul. 2005 Jun. 2005
Agree 6.0% 12.0%
Neutral 12.6% 13.8%
Disagree 76.3% 69.4%

Source: Datanálisis / El Universal
Methodology: Interviews to 1,350 Venezuelan adults, conducted from Jul. 9 to
Jul. 17, 2005. Margin of error is 2.7 per cent.

http://www.angus-reid.com/polls/index.cfm/fuseaction/viewItem/itemID/8727


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