Venezuela goes to the polls on December 3 for the 2006 Presidential Elections. Hugo Chavez, the incumbent, is a controversial figure at home and abroad. He is challenged by Manuel Rosales who represents a coalition of anti Chavez campaigners.

Chavez was elected in 1998 on a platform of creating a more equal society, ending poverty and illiteracy and reform of government, land ownership and the nation's oil industry. He was elected with the largest percentage victory in 40 years. In 1999 he brought in a new constitution and as part of this reform new elections were held in 2000.

He was re-elected with an increase in his vote. However in 2002 he was removed by a coup. but returned to power within a day. Watch video below.

Interestingly Rosales was a signatory to the Carmona Decree which was used as the official means of illegally removing the democratically elected Chavez following the coup which was in all likelihood sponsored by the US. Today, Rosales says his signing the Decree was a "mistake".

According to Venezuela’s National Institute of Statistics (INE), the proportion of the country’s 26 million people living on or below the poverty line dropped to 35% by the end of 2005, down from 47% in 2004.

Over the past two years, 1.5 million Venezuelans have learned how to read and write, thus eradicating illiteracy from the country. By comparison, during the 10-year period prior to Chavez’s election as Venezuela’s president in 1998, only only 73,000 Venezuelans learned to read and write.

For these last two reasons alone I would vote for the man. He might be too friendly with Castro for my liking and he might be a bit of a demagogue but I believe in his sincereity to better the lives or ordinary people and I believe he really is making a difference.

In the video below Chavez, during his trip to London recently, outlines some of his beliefs.

Vote Chavez!