éirígí: For A Socialist Republic

Caracas, Venezuela, September 10, 2006—Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez proposed the formation of a single united political party of the “Bolivarian Revolution” yesterday, to be formed in 2007, once he has won this year’s December Presidential elections. The announcement was made during yesterday’s swearing-in of Chavez’s electoral campaign batallones (battalions) and pelotones (platoons) in a massive march and rally of hundreds of thousands of Chavez supporters in Bolivar Avenue in Caracas. Opposition candidate Manuel Rosales also held a large demonstration in the state of Tachira, yesterday.

Chavez opened his three hour-long speech with a call for unity and for supporters to take advantage of the electoral period to further “consolidate and strengthen” the organization of the Bolivarian process.

In calling for unity, Chavez proposed the formation of single united political party, and although he said that he did not yet know what it would be called, he declared that it would be the “great party of the Bolivarian Revolution.” Chavez added that “it should represent the Republic and the revolution to the world and establish the strongest connections with the greatest revolutionary parties throughout the world.”

“Socialism was not dead it was asleep and the great socialist political parties will rise up again,” declared Chavez.