Watch out President Obama: Hugo Chavez Prepared to Take on Twitter

April 28, 2010 - By Justin E. Gehrke

According to a Reuter’s report published yesterday evening, it appears U.S. President Barack Obama will soon have competition in the politically-motivated social media department. The controversial Venezuelan President, Hugo Chavez, is about to hit the Twitterverse. According to a tweet posted by Diosdado Cabello, of the Venezuelan Ministry of People’s Power, a Twitter account has been reserved and will soon be filled with messages from the man, himself.

Made famous (or infamous, depending upon one’s political views) for his controversial foreign policy stances, unyielding approach to governing, and long-winded speeches, Chavez is one of the last people that many would ever imagine embracing social media and the internet. How did the world find out about this curious news?

Reportedly, a Twitter account was opened for Chavez on Tuesday. In a tweet posted to Cabello’s Twitter account, he wrote, “Camaradas @chavezcandanga ya esta reservada, pronto tendremos mensajes por esa via de nuestro comandante, amargados: aprieten.” Translated, to English, the tweet reads, “Comrades, @chavezcandanga has been reserved, soon we will have messages there from our commander.” The last portion of the tweet “amargados: aprieten” does not have a word-for-word literal translation but, based on Venezuela’s heavy-handed approach to governing its people, could be interpreted to mean “bitter people: prepare to feel the pressure”

Back in January, Chavez was quoted as saying that the growing use of Twitter by both citizens from Venezuela and around the world to criticize his government’s policies and tactics was the equivalent of terrorism. Why, then, would Chavez prepare to enter the Twitterverse himself? More than likely, he and his advisors see it as a way to combat their critics, by using the social media platform to further their efforts to stay in power.

As of Tuesday evening, April 27, 2010, the account already had 6000+ followers. Whether or not most are Venezuelan citizens who support Chavez can’t be readily discerned. The most likely scenario is that, as the news spreads around the globe, many will follow the Twitter account out of sheer curiosity. After all, we’re talking about a man whose previous, infamous quotes include gems such as, “Capitalism leads us straight to hell.” That means the political propaganda is bound to be amusing, if nothing else.

The only question that remains will be decided by the Twitter Gods. Will Chavez have his account upgraded to “Verified” status automatically or will he have to submit it for consideration by clicking the button, like everyone else?

Source: Reuters – Venezuela’s chatty leader Chavez joins Twitter