The ideas and positions of the International Marxist Tendency are becoming more and more well known in Venezuela. Millions of Venezuelans have seen representatives of the IMT explaining our ideas on national TV, radio and in newspapers over the last month leading up to the elections on December 3.

Starting with the tour of Alan Woods in November, interviews were published in such important papers as Ultimas Noticias and Temas, and a note was carried in the daily Vea. Several interviews were also given to different TV channels such as National Assembly Television and Vive TV. When Alan spoke at the important demonstration of revolutionary peasants in Caracas on November 20, short clips from his speech were broadcast on Venezolana de Television - VTV (Channel 8, the most seen TV channel in Venezuela) and on Telesur (the all-Latin American TV station).

The international delegation of Hands Off Venezuela has also received huge attention from the media. Upon their arrival, journalists have been queuing up to ask these international comrades about their solidarity work and about their point of view on the elections on Sunday. This was the case when the comrades were interviewed on the widely seen community television, Catia TeVe, located in a working class neighbourhood in Caracas that is strongly dominated by Chavistas. Also Vive TV has made several interviews with the comrades and even covered a public meeting that the HoV campaign held on Friday December 1.

However, what is most impressive is the fact that the comrades and the Hands Off Venezuela campaign were given one hour in prime-time, between 9pm and 10pm on Tuesday, November 28 on the programme Diálogo Abierto on VTV-Channel 8. On Saturday, December 2 John Peterson from the US section of Hands Off Venezuela and a member of the International Marxist Tendency was interviewed a half hour on TelSur.

In the days after the hour-long programme on VTV, people in the streets of Caracas recognized the comrades from the HoV delegation and approached them and congratulated them and sent warm greetings and thanks for supporting the revolution.

Even on the very day of the elections and the day after, representatives of the CMR (Revolutionary Marxist Current), will be present as commentators on programmes of Vive TV and John Peterson from the US was interviewed live on two important community radion stations, Radio Libre Negro Primero and Radio Libre Ezequiel Zamora.

All this shows the huge authority that the ideas of the IMT enjoy within the Bolivarian movement and the seriousness with which we are being taken in Venezuela. This is the result of years of patient work to defend and deepen the Venezuelan revolution.