Venezuela's embattled President Hugo Chavez warned today he could implement emergency measures to prevent what he called a sabotage of the economy by the leaders of a five-week-old strike.
"The government is ready to activate the measures it needs to activate," he said in a nationally broadcast speech delivered at a Caracas school.
He said the government had prepared a series of emergency measures which could be implemented at any time to guarantee economic stability should the opposition step up its protests.
The president did not give details of the proposed measures, though the opposition has suggested he may be planning to decree a "state of exception" that would allow him to suspend some constitutional guarantees.
Strike organisers have called for non-payment of taxes in a bid to boost their protest against Mr Chavez, and were also considering a campaign to press for non-payment of public services.
"We will not tolerate this. We will take every measure that has to be taken so that taxes are paid," said Mr Chavez.
"A group of ... traitors to the nation are calling for fiscal disobedience. That is a crime," he said.
AFP