(IPYS/IFEX) – On 30 November 2006, during a press conference, President Hugo Chávez, who is running for re-election, warned that he would close private television stations if they broadcasted exit poll results about voter choices in the 3 December elections before the official results from the National Electoral Council are tabulated and announced. Chávez reiterated […]
(IPYS/IFEX) – On 30 November 2006, during a press conference, President Hugo Chávez, who is running for re-election, warned that he would close private television stations if they broadcasted exit poll results about voter choices in the 3 December elections before the official results from the National Electoral Council are tabulated and announced. Chávez reiterated that he will not accept destabilizing moves from the media and stated that he regretted not having closed Venevisión, Radio Caracas TV, Globovisón and Televen television stations during the events of April 2002, when an attempted coup ousted him from power for 47 hours. The press conference took place in his office at the Miraflores Palace.
This is the fourth time this year that the president has threatened to close the media. Last June he ordered the licenses of broadcasters that backed the 22 April 2002 coup d’etat to be reviewed (see IFEX alert of 16 June 2006). On 3 November he warned those television stations whose broadcasting licenses will expire on the year 2007 that his government will not renew the contracts of those that promoted his overthrow (see alert of 17 November 2006).
