Venezuela continues to suffer under Chavez

Chavez is threatening to take over more privately controlled markets:

President Hugo Chavez threatened Wednesday to nationalize any privately owned supermarkets and food storage facilities caught hoarding inventories or violating price controls imposed on basic goods.

Accusing private companies of hoarding beef and other foods, Chavez warned supermarket owners and distributors that he would nationalize their facilities as soon as they gave him “an excuse.”

“If they remain committed to violating the interests of the people, the constitution, the laws, I’m going to take the food storage units, corner stores, supermarkets and nationalize them,” Chavez said during a televised broadcast. “So prepare yourselves!”

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Earlier this week the government signed deals to buy stakes in local companies owned by two U.S. corporations — Verizon Communications Inc and CMS Energy Corp. There are no major U.S. interests, however, involved in the supermarket or food storage business in Venezuela.

Chavez said his decree permitting takeovers of food stores and warehouses will take effect upon publication in the official gazette this week.

“The large storage installations, distribution chains, if we have to take them over and nationalize them, wait a few hours for the law to be approved,” he said.