According to RIA NOVOSTI, the construction of the Kalashnikov factory is proceeding according to plan. The factory should be finished and running by 2011. The Venezuelan regime got a loan for over 2.2 billion dollars just to be able to get this factory and buy some other toys for its military honchos.
The Kalashnikov factory is part of the Chavista efforts to consolidate the military regime at all costs. Chavismo knows its leader's popularity is falling. It feels it needs to consolidate its control now. It has increased its efforts to intimidate people, it is preparing to profit from the most shameless gerrymandering for the September elections, it is passing laws to take away the last powers regional governments managed by the opposition...and its efforts to arm all its thugs are going along according to plan. The regime definitely feels it will need those arms:
- Venezuela's industry is collapsing (-11% "growth" last year according to the Central Bank).
- Over half the population is working as street vendors or the like ("informal sector").
-A very fertile sub-tropical country almost twice as big as Spain has to import black beans and beef, milk and most of other food products.
- Venezuelan parents have to spend a worker's monthly salary to buy the books for two children. - Hospitals are understaffed and under-supplied.
This is XXI Century "Socialism".
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Juan Vicente Gómez
Venezuela has had many more military dictators than any other country in South America, in spite of the 1958-1998 civic period.
All of them were using the Bolívar cult and personality cult towards themselves to consolidate their grip on power.
Hugo Chávez
A dictator can get to power through elections. History has shown it quite often.