Venezuela en Noticias-1-16-08
According to Latinobarómetro’s poll
Venezuela is the Latin American country where
more citizens describe as positive their economic situation
and the second country where citizens are more satisfied with
democracy
The non-profit NGO Corporación Latinobarómetro
released his annual poll surveying the development of democracy,
economies and societies in Latin America applying attitudinal,
opinion, and behavioral indicators. Its results are very eloquent
regarding the Latin American people’s ideology and opinion,
especially when referring to Venezuela.
It conducted 19,000 interviews in 18 Latin American countries,
represented by more than 400 million inhabitants. The data
of this foundation, based on Santiago de Chile, are used by
political and social actors, international organizations,
governments and mass media. However, they have been scarcely
spread by the media due to what it shows regarding Venezuela.
The first surveys of Latinobarómetro in America Latina
were conducted between May and June 1995 and included 8 countries:
Argentina, Brazil, Chile, México, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay
and Venezuela. Starting 1996, this survey has been conducted
in 17 countries, with the further incorporation of the Dominican
Republic in the year 2004, thus reaching the 18 countries
of Latin America, with the exception of Cuba.
So far, 12 surveys have been conducted, including 216,998
interviews. The 2007 poll included 20,212 interviews and it
was conducted between September 7 and October 9, with sampling
representing 100% of the population in the 18 Latin American
countries.
According to the last Latinobarómetro poll, which included
the following question: “In general, would you say you
are very satisfied, fairly satisfied, not very satisfied or
not satisfied at all with the way democracy works in (country)?,”
in 1998 the indicator called satisfaction with democracy in
Latin America was 37% (Answer shown ‘Very satisfied’
plus ‘fairly satisfied’), while it was below 35%
in Venezuela.
In the 2007 Latinobarómetro poll, Latin America’s
average satisfaction with democracy has remained 37%, while
it has increased to 59% in Venezuela. According to this indicator,
Venezuela has become the second Latin American country with
the highest satisfaction with democracy after Uruguay (Page
80 of the Latinobarómetro poll).
Regarding approval of government and confidence in the government,
last year Venezuela’s index was 66%, thus ranking 1st
in Latin America, whose average was 39%. To the question “Do
you approve or disapprove of the performance of the government
headed by (Name of President of Country)?”, Venezuela
answered as follows:
While the media do not stop portraying the Venezuelan president
as a scourge to his citizens, Latinobarómetro shows
that the Venezuelan citizens’ confidence in Chávez
is 60%, faced with Latin America’s average of 43%.
The positive perception of the democratic system is also shown
in the citizens’ confidence in the political parties.
This indicator shows Latin America with a low confidence,
but Venezuela’s confidence in its political parties
is the highest of all the countries with 36% faced with an
average of 20%.
Let’s review the country’s present economic situation.
Interviewees had to answer the following question: “In
general, how would you describe the country’s present
economic situation? Would you say it is very good, good, about
average, bad or very bad?” If we take into account the
“very good” and “good” options, we’ll
find out that Venezuela is – with a big difference (52%)
– the country where citizens have a more positive perception.
The average is 21%.
We found out something similar regarding the country’s
future economic situation:
But this study also provides positive opinions given by Latin
Americans; for instance, regarding the statement “Market
economy is the only system required to become a developed
country,” on page 28 of the report, we found that citizens
of 13 Latin American countries disagree, against most citizens
of just six countries, where all of them, except from one,
variations tend to move towards disagreement in comparison
to last year’s answer.
We can also see this change regarding the following question
(Page 29): “Some people say that the State can solve
the problems of our society because it has the means to do
it. Would you say that the State can solve all the problems,
most of the problems, many problems, just some problems or
no problem?” The number of Latin Americans answering
all the problems, most of the problems or many problems increases
in comparison to previous years, while the number of Latin
Americans answering just some problems falls.
Regarding the question “Do you strongly agree, agree,
disagree or strongly disagree with the following statement?
Privatizations of state-run companies have benefited the country?”
(Page 24), strongly agree plus agree are not chosen by most
of the interviewees in each country.
Actually, when they were asked “From the following activities,
which activities do you think must be mostly in the State’s
hands and which activities do you think must be mostly in
private hands?” (Page 32), the option “in private
hands” receives 24% for telephone services, 18% for
electricity services and 16% for oil and fuels. On the other
hand, the option “in the State’s hands”
(Page 38) receives 77% for oil and fuels, 76% for electricity
services and 69% for telephone services.
The report concludes that “without knowing the Washington
Consensus, and without understanding what it is about, the
citizens’ statements have been clearly exceeded because
there is more State demand and less market demand to reach
development.”
This report also analyzes the electoral results of the last
presidential elections in the region’s countries. It
highlights that “victories by Evo Morales in Bolivia,
Álvaro Uribe in Colombia, and Hugo Chávez in
Venezuela are examples of presidents elected with more than
50% of the votes in first electoral rounds.”
“However – the report adds – if we take
into account the electoral participation of registered voters
in Venezuela, Hugo Chávez was elected with 45% of the
number of registered voters; Evo Morales with 42% in Bolivia;
and Álvaro Uribe with just 28% in Colombia.”
Latinobarómetro manages the first opinion data bank
in Spanish, the first in the South Hemisphere and in Latin
America. According to its Web Page (in Spanish) http://www.latinobarometro.org/,
the system is operated by JDS System, Madrid. In 2007, Latinobarómetro
signed an agreement with the University of Essex’s UK
Data Archive in order to provide users of the English system
and 150 universities in the United Kingdom with direct access
to its data bank through http://www.esds.ac.uk. This access
has been financed by UK Data Archive.
The 2007 report was supported by various organizations and
governments, including other organizations such as the OAS
(Organization of American States), the CAF (Andean Development
Corporation), the SIDA (Swedish International Development
Cooperation Agency), ELCANO (Real Instituto Elcano), AECI
(Spanish Agency of International Cooperation) and the Denmark’s
government.
Starting 2006, when the ECLAC (Economic Commission for Latin
America) takes on the Secretary’s Office of Latinobarómetro’s
Advising Council, its contribution to this study have meant
counting on a significant experience in order to contextualize
the Latin Americans’ perceptions according to their
economic and social reality. The presentation of the 2007
data starts with a synoptic vision of the region’s economy
especially provided by the ECLAC to this report.
By Pascual Serrano / Rebelión.org (In Spanish) / Wednesday,
January 16, 2007
Tables found in Latinobarómetro Report 2007
100% of Venezuelan People to Have Running Water in
2012
The projects carried out by the national government in the
hydrologic sector through several companies will allow running
water supply to all Venezuelan people.
The information was issued by Hidrocapital President Alejandro
Hitcher during the celebration of the World Water Day held
on Thursday in Caracas.
Hitcher said: “the Venezuela’s government is expected
to fulfill the Millennium Summit’s goal, even beyond
it. In this respect, the government carries out several projects
aimed at fulfilling this goal by year 2012 and not by 2015,
deadline established by the Millennium Summit.”
The Millennium Summit’s goal is to reduce by half the
proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking
water. But, according to Hitcher, Venezuela will be able of
supply the 100% of the people without access to drinking water
through the projects executed by the national government.
Hidrocapital carries out three important hydrological constructions,
such as the building of system Tuy 4, approved by President
Hugo Chávez, the construction of a new aqueduct in
Vargas state and the rebuilding of a reservoir in El Guapo
sector, Miranda state, which is aimed to supply water to the
housing complex built through the Mission Villanueva in Las
Lapas sector, he explained
Mission Villanueva is a social program aimed at fighting the
existing housing crisis in the country by changing the urban
planning of the city.
Furthermore, he stressed the importance of boosting campaigns
to raise people awareness of the use of water such as the
program El agua en Nuestras Vidas (the water in our life),
aimed at children.
Likewise, he underlined the active responsibility of the people
through the water technical tables in which common people
and authorities discuss about the responsibility of the water
use.
He also urged people to make a rational use of water because
of the severe drought period. “The reserve water supply
is guaranteed in the capital city. However, we have to do
a rational use of water,” he added.
Bolivarian News Agency (ABN)/ MinCI / 23-03-07
Pdvsa to Issue US $ Million Bond
President Chávez stated that this bond “is very
solid since it counts on PDVSA’s support.” The
unified party creation does not suggest an unique ideal, but
the unity to strengthen the revolution, he added.
Hugo Chávez announced that PDVSA will issue US $ Million
Bond for small, medium and big savers.
During his radio program ¡Aló, Presidente! No
277, held in Cabimas, Zulia state, the Head of State states
that “a few minutes ago, the Energy and Oil Minister,
Rafael Ramírez, pointed out that “Venezuela is
a country that can launch bonds for the public offer.”
The creation the Unified Socialist Party of Venezuela “does
not suggest a unique ideal, but the unity of all political
and social branches to strengthen the revolution which is
people’s clamor, he added.
Presidential Press/ MinCI / 23-03-07
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