Venezuela: a country on the brink of splitting | Reportage | Arte

Venezuela is a country torn in two: on one side, the partisans of President Hugo Chavez, mostly the inhabitants of the poor districts. On the other side, the ?anti-Chavez? who come from the middle class and the business world. The first support a populist president, admirer of Fidel Castro and who has promised to redistribute the immense wealth of the Venezuelan oil. The second fear a Marxist revolution and the end of liberties. After an abortive putsch and a general strike which did not succeed in chasing the president from power, the opposition is now in the expectation of a referendum which would shorten the president?s term. For that, a national electoral council must decide if at least 2.4 million Venezuelans have signed the opposition petition. Paul COMITI went to investigate this country on the brink of splitting.