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Chavez Ally Blocks Candidates From Ballot

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The Associated Press

Published: May 24, 2008

CARACAS, Venezuela - Leopoldo Lopez won his last election as mayor of an affluent Caracas district with 81 percent of the vote. Female supporters mobbed him at a recent Mother's Day appearance, posing for photos while he and his wife handed out roses.

The popular politician's plan to challenge incumbent Juan Barreto, mayor of Greater Caracas, later this year could be thwarted, though, by 26 criminal charges against him - accusations Lopez says were trumped up by an operative of President Hugo Chavez.

He's not alone.

Nearly 400 others, mostly opposition politicians, have been barred from running for office in state and municipal elections in November by Venezuela's top anti-corruption official, a close Chavez ally.
Comptroller General Clodosbaldo Russian made public what critics call a blacklist of candidates in February. Although none has been formally charged with a crime, Russian argues that law allows him to prohibit all 386 from running for office while he investigates charges ranging from nepotism to illegally awarding public contracts.
Opposition leaders say they have never seen such a bold attempt to block their candidacies since Chavez took office nearly a decade ago.

As soaring crime and double-digit inflation eat away at Chavez's popularity, many say his allies may be having a harder time riding his coattails into office.

Chavez ally Willian Lara denied that the list is politically motivated, saying Russian's sole objective is to fight corruption "wherever it's found."

The politicians on Russian's list have appealed to the Supreme Court to overrule him.

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