Chavez's 10th

Hugo Chavez celebrated the tenth anniversary of his rise to power by holding a summit of fellow-minded heads of state, and declaring a national holiday.

For the summit he played host to four presidents - Ecuador's Rafael Correa, Honduras's Rafael Zelaya, Bolivia's Evo Morales, Dominica's Roosevelt Skerrit and Cuban vice-president Jose Ramon Machado. It was officially a meeting of the Castro-Chavez ALBA, Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas, which is meant to counter the US's economic influence in the region while advancing regional integration. The ALBA is an integral part of Chavez's Bolivarian Revolution and is funded mainly through Venezuela's oil revenues. Of course, there was a big outdoor rally at the tomb of Simon Bolivar.

The holiday was declared at a moment's notice, leaving many questioning its legality since the law requires that advance notice be published in the government gazette. Private firms who didn't comply with the holiday would be subject to fines.

While the celebration on Monday commemorated the day Chavez was sworn in for his first term, the celebration didn't end there. Yesterday Chavez celebrated the 17th anniversary of his failed 1992 coup.

The Jungle Hut has a collection of first-hand accounts of the 1992 coup, and some thoughts on the frail nature of liberty.

Chavez's current term runs until the end of 2012. He may not take "no" on the upcoming referendum on extending his term in office indefinitely.

Fausta also blogs at Fausta's Blog