International

Why is Chavez afraid to debate?

Manuel Rosales, Hugo Chavez’s main opponent in the December Venezuelan election, may or may not be an agent of Yanqui imperialism, and may or may not stand a chance of winning. But why won’t Chavez agree to a one-on-one debate with him?

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A supporter greets Rosales

As for Rosales– a social democrat with a plan to transfer oil profits to the country’s poor– these photos from a big campaign rally for him in Caracas earlier this month suggest that his support may extend a bit beyond Venezuela’s blonde, fashionable elite.