In front of more than 2000 聯promoters聰 for the Unified Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) on March 24, President Hugo Chavez called for all the political parties that support him to unite behind the new party. These 聯promoters聰 will carry out the first stage in the formation of a united pro-government party by the end of the year. Chavez emphasised that a united party is vital for the success of the Bolivarian revolutionary process.
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On the grass outside an abattoir on the Western Plains of New South Wales, in the dark, cool air, a few workers are forming the late-night shift of a picket. Some journalists are hanging around, talking to them. It is less than a week after the federal government聮s new industrial relations legislation, known as Work Choices, has taken effect. The men are outside the Cowra abattoir, not inside, because they have received termination notices. Twenty-nine have been sacked from their jobs for 聯operational reasons聰.
Sixteen landed estates will be expropriated for Venezuela聮s land reform program, announced President Hugo Chavez on March 25, during his television program Alo Presidente. The total area of land that will thus become available for redistribution to peasants and agricultural cooperatives will exceed 330,000 hectares in the states of Apure, Anzoategui, Barinas, Guarico, Portuguesa and Aragua.
Launching the second phase of La Otra Campana (The Other Campaign) on March 25, Subcomandante Marcos, the best-known spokesperson for the Zapatista National Liberation Army (EZLN), denounced 鈥渢he current stage of capitalism鈥 as a 鈥渘ew war of conquest鈥. He argued that 鈥渁nother world is possible, but only on top of the corpse of capitalism, the dominant system鈥.
East Timor聮s presidential election campaign is now officially underway. Voting will be held on April 9. Max Lane spoke by phone with presidential candidate Avelino Coelho, secretary-general of the Socialist Party of Timor (PST).
For the fourth time during his 14-month government, Bolivian President Evo Morales swore in a new president to run state petroleum company YPFB on March 23. This followed the eruption of a scandal that has cast doubts on the government聮s most popular measure to date 聴 the nationalisation of the country聮s gas resources.
To no-one鈥檚 surprise, the Beijing-anointed incumbent Donald Tsang was returned in Hong Kong鈥檚 March 25 鈥渆lection鈥 for the territory鈥檚 chief executive 鈥 the third such election since the territory鈥檚 reversion to Chinese rule in 1997. What was surprising was that the rival candidate, lawyer Alan Leong 鈥 billed as representing the politically moderate middle-class democratic camp and the first ever challenger in this highly managed ballot 鈥 secured a respectable 123 votes compared to Tsang鈥檚 649.
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