Alex, if true democracies have a vigorous opposition, then the US is definitely NOT a true democracy right now. Look at that wimp Nancy Pelosi, supposedly an opposition leader, bowing down to BushCo at every turn, and then try to tell us with a straight face that you have a "true democracy"! Let's face it--the US stopped being a democracy in 2000. It therefore has no moral standing to lecture other countries on their democratic deficits.

Plus, you say: "Democracies do not make it a habit of nationalizing radio and TV." Oh? Tell it to us Canadians, if you can bear the sound of 31 million people laughing their heads off. We have a national, public radio-TV network--it is the CBC, and it is more vigorous and objective, for all its taxpayer funding, than all the major commercial networks combined! We also don't have term limits for our prime ministers. And we have a War Measures Act, which has seldom been invoked, and which looks a lot like the emergency provision Chavez is currently trying to add to the Venezuelan constitution. We are still, in spite of all that, a democracy. How 'bout them apples...

I hear that President Lula of Brazil recently decreed a national TV channel, too. To counterbalance the far-right commercial station Globo, yet. If you're going to complain about Chavez not renewing a frequently law-breaking channel's licence (hello, RCTV!) and handing its former frequency to a start-up public channel, you might also want to kvetch about Lula, just for the sake of fairness. Oh, and how 'bout that oh-so-democratic Alan Garcia of Peru? He suspended a couple of channels for broadcasting unflattering but true news about himself...and I hear nobody here complaining about him. Funny how some things are only bad when a Hugo Chavez does them! (Surely all that oil he's sitting on has nothing to do with it; Peru and Brazil, though they have some oil, are both pipsqueaks by comparison.)

BTW, for those who think Chavez is a communist dictator (or trying to be one) just for being friends with Fidel Castro: Again, you're all wet. We had a prime minister, Pierre Trudeau, who had a nationalized oil program, and was also friends with Castro. His conservative enemies may have tried to tar him with the commie brush, but nothing stuck. Trudeau remained a democrat--and a Liberal. And a thorn in the side of Richard Nixon, to boot. And at Trudeau's funeral in 2000, Fidel attended...and sat right beside Jimmy Carter, who was also Trudeau's friend. Funny how three so dramatically different men were nevertheless able to get along well together. When I see Chavez befriending Fidel, I just see another Trudeau.

Finally, there is nothing in Chavez's actions to suggest a real move toward dictatorship. As has been pointed out here repeatedly, Chavez is elected, and every law he put to a public vote, won by a landslide. The 1999 constitution was written by an elected assembly and then ratified by popular vote, and the reforms Chavez has just completed will be voted on by all the people--and if they reject 'em, those reforms will not stand. Actually, Fidel recently told Evo Morales (president of Bolivia) to follow Chavez's example--because Chavez went the democratic route. Fidel Castro admitted that he made a mistake in placing limits on democracy in Cuba (there IS some, but it doesn't extend to the presidency).

Again--how 'bout them apples?

Rosa writes:The fact is that most Venezuelans voted for Hugo Chavez for president and keep on voting and the opposition has failed to prove that Venezuelans is not a true democracy.

Well Rosa, a true democracy has a vigorous opposition. If you look at the United States, the media has virtually free reign, the gov does not silence opponents nor operates a secret police that takes people away and does not take over TV stations. Venezuela no doubt started as a democracy but surely you can see what it is slowly turning into? Do you think that the forthcoming elections in Cuba are a joke, many in the civilized world do, is Cuba a democracy ? Unfortunately Venezuela is slowly but surly turning into a Cuba.
I'm surprised that you live in this country, which is a true democracy, yet think Venezuela is the same. You need to be honest about what a real democracy is and then compare it to Chavez's actions. Chavez will prove you wrong, he will be in power for a very very very long time.