CARACAS, Venezuela — With President Hugo Chavez dominating Venezuelan politics for the past 12 years, opposition leaders have had a hard time gaining traction. Just ask Caracas Mayor Antonio Ledezma.
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Ledezma was elected mayor three years ago, but the Chavez government has turned him into a figurehead by taking away nearly all his responsibilities and budget and by appointing a rival politician to administer Caracas.
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Like Ledezma, mayors and governors across the country — including some pro-government officials — have been effectively marginalized by national authorities named by Chavez as part of his broader vision to centralize power.
Political analyst Luis Vicente Leon calls it a parallel system in which the national government “expropriates” duties and responsibilities once carried out by state and local officials. “They take away hospitals, police, firefighters, highways and airports,” Leon said.
http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/americas/venezuela/110811/Politics-Venezuela-Oppression-ChavezWait a second, weren't we just told that the central government can't be blamed for crime, as the police are controlled locally?
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