Anti-Chávez groups barely united

The opponents of President Hugo Chávez agree on one thing: They want Mr. Chávez out. Beyond that, they spend almost as much time fighting among themselves as they do fighting the current government.

The more than 40 political parties and nongovernmental organizations that make up the country's opposition say that President Chávez has ruined Venezuela's economy and moved the country toward a tyrannical, Communist-type state. These groups have been a driving force behind the three-week-old nationwide strike, which has virtually shut down the the world's fifth-largest oil producer and led to widespread gas shortages.

But these opponents are becoming increasingly worried that an anti-Chávez platform is not enough. Though they want to reduce poverty, improve education, and bolster the economy - positions similar to the platform Chávez ran on five years ago when he swept into power - opposition leaders say that without a clear message, a strong candidate, and a unified front, removing Chávez could be just the beginning of their troubles.

"Having five presidents in five weeks like Argentina, that's a real possibility if we don't pull ourselves together," says Leopoldo Lopez, the young mayor of Chacao, a district of metropolitan Caracas, and a member of Justice First, an opposition party made up of young professionals. "There is a lot of obsession right now on who is the alter ego to Chávez, but that is not the real issue. The real issue is how we are going to put the country back together. That is going to be very difficult, regardless of who is president."

Mayor Lopez says that a priority for opponents is to convince Chávez to call early elections because, right now, many people still support the strike. Chávez says that early elections are unconstitutional, and points to the Venezuelan Constitution, which says that a referendum on his presidency can take only take place in August 2003.

But as gas grows increasingly scarce and other necessities run out, people may begin to blame the opposition for their worsening situation, says Lopez at a funeral for a police officer killed last week. "We're walking a fine line."

Over the weekend, Chávez took steps to keep the gasoline flowing. A replacement crew took control of a tanker containing 280,000 barrels of gasoline on Friday and two other ships on Saturday that had been idled off shore by striking crews. Some 40 other tankers remain anchored off ports.

The Supreme Court has ordered all oil workers to immediately return to work, leading to the seizures by the government. Oil production is at 10 percent its typical 3 million barrels a day.

People should blame Chávez for the situation because he has the power to end the strike by calling for early elections, says Enrique Mendoza, the governor of Miranda state and the leading name being thrown about for president. He says it's important to remember why Chávez came to power in the first place.

"Chávez was the product of frustration of the people for the old way of doing things. We need to come up with new ways to do things," he says. "We cannot simply change one shoe for another."

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