Christmas comes early for some Venezuelans

El burro dictator of Venezuela must be very worried about his upcoming election in December…so much so, that he has authorized an early purchase of votes.

Chavez Says He'll Move Up Christmas Bonuses, Nacional Reports
By Guillermo Parra-Bernal

Oct. 15 (Bloomberg) -- Venezuela President Hugo Chavez, who faces re-election on Dec. 3, said he plans to move up the payment of year-end bonuses to civil servants, El Nacional reported on its online edition.

Chavez said he was told by Finance Minister Nelson Merentes that the necessary funds are available for the bonuses, which justify paying out the so-called Christmas bonuses earlier than usual, the newspaper reported.

Usually the government pays out the Christmas bonuses to government workers in mid-December, Universal reported. The paper didn't say how much the government would spend in bonuses.

Last week, Chavez supporters such as Deputy Ricardo Sanguino said congress, where his coalition holds all 167 seats, will help pass any presidential requests for additional budget funding before the election. Chavez is leading his opponents by more than 20 percentage points, according to recent polls, the newspaper said.