Hugo Chavez’s Celebrity Supporters
Venezuela's Hugo Chávez has a lot support in his country... and among the stars of Hollywood.
Danny Glover stood by his friend Hugo Chávez, as the Venezuelan president won another term in the most hotly contested political elections in the South American country’s history.
In a video released on YouTube [BELOW] by Venezuelan news organization Noticiero Digital, Glover is seen celebrating with Chávez just minutes after finding out of his big win.
Both men begin boxing playfully and then embrace in an affectionate hug, as the press and other supporters, including Guatemalan Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Rigoberta Menchu, watch on happily.
Hugo Chávez left the polling centers open later than expected as millions of Venezuelans casting ballots queued up in lines snaking along sidewalks and around blocks in many parts of Caracas.
With Chávez's challenger, Henrique Capriles, uniting the opposition, the contest between the two sides that deeply distrust each other raised concerns as to whether a close election result would be respected.
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But it was Chávez himself who dismantled any fears that the “Chavista” government would not relinquish control if Capriles did win.
This is not the first time that Glover shows his support for Chávez.
Back in 2007, Glover knew he could count on Venezuela’s leader to financially support the actor in his quest to begin the biopic on Haitian revolutionary Francois-Dominique Toussaint Louverture.
It was reported in 2007 that Venezuela's state-sponsored studio complex Villa del Cine would funnel $18 million into the project, which sparked animosity with Venezuelan filmmakers.
Other Hollywood figures that openly support Venezuela’s President include soccer superstar Diego Maradona, who in 2010 vowed to support Chávez until his death, and Puerto Rican actor Benicio Del Toro, who met with Chávez after filming the movie “Che” in 2008.
That same year, Glover’s close friend singer Harry Belafonte said he shared his thoughts on President Bush being “the greatest terrorist in the world” and urged Americans to support Chávez’s socialist revolution.
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