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News from the Caribbean as of
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Chavez decides not to change Venezuela's name
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
CARACAS, Venezuela (AFP): Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez said Sunday he would not change the official name of his country to "Socialist Republic of Venezuela," two weeks after he said he would drop the existing "Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela."
"I do not believe it is necessary to change the name," which the 1999 constitution dubbed the country to honor Simon Bolivar, the Venezuela-born "Liberator" of most of Spanish South America.
At his January 8 swearing-in to a new term as president, Chavez said he would rename Venezuela a socialist republic to stress his socialist revolution, while he proposed to strengthen his own political powers and nationalize the energy and telecommunications sectors.
But in his weekly radio and television talk show "Hello President" Sunday, he said there was no need to change the country's name.
"'Bolivarian' is inherently socialist," he said. "Capitalism is anti-Bolivarian."
Most Venezuelan presidents claim inspiration from Bolivar, who often cautioned his compatriots about the gathering power of the United States.
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