Vote for Chavez — Or Else

So much for secret ballot elections in Venezuela:

According to an internal memo obtained by ABC News, workers at Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA) were recently instructed to support Chavez’s re-election campaign or else be terminated.

The Oct. 18 memo to managers in the company outlines a 24-point directive designed to mobilize PDVSA’s resources and workforce to support Chavez’s campaign with both time and money, in advance of the country’s Dec. 3 vote.

“We should be loyal and consistent with the President of the Republic,” the memo emphasizes.

It encourages the placement of “propaganda” on buildings and the posting of pro-Chavez material on official PDVSA vehicles.

The memo also calls for a donation of 250 million Venezuelan Bolivares (over $116,000) to Chavez’s campaign organization, Comando Miranda, in the name of the PDVSA’s workers.

The penalties for failing to comply with these new directives are severe. Workers are threatened with the loss of their jobs if they do not cooperate.

To quote a line from the cult TV series The Prisoner, “Everyone votes for a dictator”.

If what’s going on in Hugoland isn’t an example of iron-fisted rule, then I don’t know what is.

(link via Hot Air)

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