A Nation Shuts Down

Store shelves lie empty. Malls and restaurants are closed. So are movie theaters and even schools. In the past two months, the South American country of Venezuela has come to a standstill.

For shoppers in Caracas, the capital of Venezuela, the choices are few.

On December 2, the country's labor and business leaders called for a general strike to protest the three-year-old government of President Hugo Chavez. They say that Chavez's decisions have hurt the country's economy. They want to force him out of office. The shutdown has cost Venezuela at least $4 billion. It has pit the poor, who support Chavez, against the middle class and the wealthy.

CHAVEZ STRIKES BACK

Throughout the strike, Chavez has held a tight grip on his nation. Venezuela is the world's fifth-largest oil exporter. Half of the government's money comes from oil. When 35,000 of the country's 40,000 oil workers walked off their jobs, Chavez fired 5,000. When work stopped at

Many Venuezuelans have rallied for their rights.

water and soft-drink bottling plants, Chavez sent in troops to take over. He began an investigation of two television stations that support the strike, hoping to find a reason to shut down the stations. He has encouraged rallies and protests in poor neighborhoods. "One thing is to try to get rid of me," says Chavez. "Another is to succeed. I have the popularity to remain in power."

Last Wednesday, Chavez scored a victory. The National Banking Council announced that banks will resume normal hours this week. During the strike, banks were open for only three hours a day. Venezuelans were forced to stand on long lines to get to their cash. "We owe the public," said Nelson Mezerhane, the council's vice president. "They have their money in our institutions."

Although the strike seems to be losing steam, Chavez's opponents insist they will keep on fighting. They have agreed to let schools and businesses reopen. But they are still pushing for early elections and legal changes that will cut short Chavez's term in office.

A Look at Venezuela

POPULATION: 24 million

SIZE: 352,143 square miles, a little more than twice the size of California

CAPITAL: CARACAS

LANGUAGE: Spanish. Venezuela means "little Venice" in Spanish.

HISTORY: The country won its independence from Spain in 1821. For much of its history, it was ruled by dictators. Since 1959, it has been a democracy. Hugo Chavez became president in 1999. He was reelected to a six-year term in 2000.