Chavez To Declare Himself Dictator

Making official something that was really quite apparent, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is on the verge of being given dictatorial power, and freedom continues to silently die south of the border:

Venezuela’s National Assembly has given initial approval to a bill granting the president the power to bypass congress and rule by decree for 18 months.

President Hugo Chavez says he wants “revolutionary laws” to enact sweeping political, economic and social changes.

He has said he wants to nationalise key sectors of the economy and scrap limits on the terms a president can serve.

Mr Chavez began his third term in office last week after a landslide election victory in December.

The bill allowing him to enact laws by decree is expected to win final approval easily in the assembly on its second reading on Tuesday.

This is hardly surprising considering that the National Assembly is completely controlled by Chavez’s party, but it is still somewhat shocking to see people voluntarily vote themselves into servitude.