Reporting by Enrique Andres Pretel; Writing by Andrew Cawthorne; Editing by Eric Beech
CARACAS
Wed Mar 10, 2010 10:12am ESTCARACAS (Reuters) - President Hugo Chavez is confident that God and nature will pull Venezuela out of a power crisis battering both the economy and his popularity.
Rationing and blackouts have afflicted the South American oil exporter since late 2009, due mainly to a drought that has cut water levels at hydroelectric installations normally supplying more than two-thirds of power needs. …
"The squalid ones are hoping it won't rain," Chavez said late on Tuesday, using his usual term for the opposition.
"But it's going to rain, you'll see, because God is a 'Bolivarian.' God cannot be squalid. Nature is with us," the socialist leader added during an event with athletes. …
The government has introduced rationing across Venezuela and is threatening fines and cutoffs to large consumers who fail to reduce power use by 20 percent. …
Authorities say the main reservoir, El Guri, is close to "collapse," possibly in May or June, if there is no rain soon. …
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