Aló Presidente
Encyclopedia
Aló Presidente is a largely unscripted talk show hosted by Venezuelan President
Hugo Chávez
which is broadcast on Venezuela
n state television
and radio stations every Sunday at 11:00 AM. The program does not have a fixed ending time, but usually ends by 5:00 PM, or as the program dynamics permit.
It features Chávez addressing topics of the day and touring locations where government social welfare programs are active. The first broadcast was made on May 23, 1999 (about three months after Chávez took office) on radio. Since then, over 330 shows have aired.
in response to a bombing by Colombian forces inside Ecuador which killed Raúl Reyes
, a top member of FARC
. (The battalions were not deployed; see also 2008 Andean diplomatic crisis
.)
Chávez has also in the past frequently used the program to discuss US foreign policy.
and Ecuador
, led by Presidents Evo Morales
and Rafael Correa
respectively.
Dictator
A dictator is a ruler who assumes sole and absolute power but without hereditary ascension such as an absolute monarch. When other states call the head of state of a particular state a dictator, that state is called a dictatorship...
Hugo Chávez
Hugo Chávez
Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías is the 56th and current President of Venezuela, having held that position since 1999. He was formerly the leader of the Fifth Republic Movement political party from its foundation in 1997 until 2007, when he became the leader of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela...
which is broadcast on Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
n state television
Venezolana de Televisión
Corporación Venezolana de Televisión or VTV is a state-owned television network based in Caracas, Venezuela, which can be seen throughout the country on channel eight...
and radio stations every Sunday at 11:00 AM. The program does not have a fixed ending time, but usually ends by 5:00 PM, or as the program dynamics permit.
It features Chávez addressing topics of the day and touring locations where government social welfare programs are active. The first broadcast was made on May 23, 1999 (about three months after Chávez took office) on radio. Since then, over 330 shows have aired.
Format
Government ministers are required to attend the program. They may be questioned by the president about anything, and sometimes policy — even military policy — is made on the show. During the March 2, 2008 airing, Chávez ordered a top general to send ten battalions of troops to the border with ColombiaColombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
in response to a bombing by Colombian forces inside Ecuador which killed Raúl Reyes
Raúl Reyes
Luis Edgar Devia Silva , better known by his nom de guerre Raúl Reyes, was a Secretariat member, spokesperson, and advisor to the Southern Bloc of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia-EP...
, a top member of FARC
Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia
The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia – People's Army is a Marxist–Leninist revolutionary guerrilla organization based in Colombia which is involved in the ongoing Colombian armed conflict, currently involved in drug dealing and crimes against the civilians..FARC-EP is a peasant army which...
. (The battalions were not deployed; see also 2008 Andean diplomatic crisis
2008 Andean diplomatic crisis
The 2008 Andean diplomatic crisis was a diplomatic stand-off between the South American countries of Ecuador, Colombia and Venezuela. It began with an incursion into Ecuadorian territory across the Putumayo River by the Colombian military on March 1, 2008, leading to the deaths of over twenty...
.)
Chávez has also in the past frequently used the program to discuss US foreign policy.
South American model
Aló Presidente has spawned similar programs by leaders in other South American countries, most notably BoliviaBolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
and Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
, led by Presidents Evo Morales
Evo Morales
Juan Evo Morales Ayma , popularly known as Evo , is a Bolivian politician and activist, currently serving as the 80th President of Bolivia, a position that he has held since 2006. He is also the leader of both the Movement for Socialism party and the cocalero trade union...
and Rafael Correa
Rafael Correa
Rafael Vicente Correa Delgado born is the President of the Republic of Ecuador and was the president pro tempore of the Union of South American Nations. An economist educated in Ecuador, Belgium and the United States, he was elected President in late 2006 and took office in January 2007...
respectively.
External links
- Aló Presidente — Official website, containing full-length video and audio files for most episodes since show #220.
- Misión Venezuela: Aló Presidente — Back episodes (from 1999 through October 2004) of Aló Presidente.
- Program 239 extracts with English subtitles — In which confidential parts of the FTAA rounds in Mar Del Plata, Argentina, were aired.
- Transcript of the conversation between Hugo Chavez and Cuban leader Fidel Castro