Chávez is under criticism—even from MAS members—for some of his recent statements about Bolivia. During his visit to Cuba, Chávez stated that he would turn Bolivia into a “new Vietnam” if anything happened to Evo’s government, which was highly criticized as “interventionist” in many sectors (most notably, of course, the opposition). Some MAS members have joined in calls against Chávez’s statements, though government spokespeople were thankful for the Venezuelan president’s statements of “solidarity.”
In other (related) news, I was surprised to read that Evo was booed in El Alto while handing out Venezuelan checks. There seemed to be much confusion about who should receive the checks for various development projects, w/ Evo decided (on stage) to give the checks directly to the companies involved in the projects (rather than the elected officials), putting the checks directly into their hands. Someone in the audience also asked how these monies (which have become a staple of Evo’s visits throughout the country) would be “fiscalized” (audited). Evo responded that the checks would be controlled by a presidential delegate & a representative of the Venezuelan government.