Chavez, Foes Bicker Over Venezuelan Strike Chaos (washingtonpost.com)

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said Sunday his government was turning the tide against an opposition strike that has hit gasoline and food supplies just before Christmas, but strikers insisted their shutdown of the vital oil industry was holding firm.

Venezuelans, accustomed to cheap gasoline costing less than bottled water, were facing a bleak Christmas of unprecedented shortages of gasoline and, to a lesser extent, of some food items. In Caracas, many cinemas and shopping malls stayed shut and the city's normally congested traffic had thinned to a trickle.

Foes of Chavez launched the general strike Dec. 2 as part of a year-long campaign of stoppages and protests aimed at unseating the populist president, whom they accuse of dragging the oil-rich nation toward Cuba-style communism.

Chavez says his self-styled "revolution," which has included cheap credits and land grants, is aimed at helping poor Venezuelans who form the majority of the 23-million population. He maintains a solid bedrock of support among the poor although his overall popularity has fallen sharply.

Chavez, who was democratically elected in 1998, says the constitution only allows for a binding referendum on his rule in August, halfway through his current presidential term.

During the strike, foes and followers of the president have squared off in almost daily protests, raising fears of street violence in the politically-divided nation. More than 60 people were killed in clashes during the April coup.

An overview - right now a standoff with Chavez appearing to slowly to regain control.