Hugo Chavez Denies Seeking Dictatorship

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 October 5, 2005 6:31 a.m. EST

Niladri Sekhar Nath - All Headline News Foreign Correspondent

Caracas, Venezuela (AHN) – Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez denies he is seeking a dictatorship. Instead, he accuses local media of wrongly depicting him as authoritarian.

Chavez says he fully supports democracy. However, his critics maintain he occupies increasing power over the national legislature, the courts and the electoral council.

"From North America and parts of South America, they continue attacking Venezuela, trying to say there is a dictatorship here," says Chavez, while addressing oil company executives in the northwestern state of Falcon. "Those who say I want to lead Venezuela toward a dictatorship are the same ones who tried to establish a dictatorship here, and they were defeated."