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Weekly Report - 10 January 2008 (ISSN 1741-7422)

Referendum reverse prompts Chávez rethink

Venezuela's President Hugo Chávez began 2008 in a markedly different manner to 2007. He granted an amnesty to political adversaries linked to the brief coup of 2002; carried out an extensive reshuffle of his cabinet which brought ostensibly moderate ministers to the fore; and promised to drop the more radical proposals rejected by voters in the referendum on constitutional reform on 2 December. This time last year, Chávez announced the radicalisation of his Bolivarian Revolution - nationalising strategic sectors of the economy and replacing some of the more moderate influences in his cabinet - to pursue 21st century socialism. The latest developments are more likely to signal a change of tone rather than a change of direction.

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