CHAVEZ CLAIMS TO RECEIVE NEARLY 288,000 HELP REQUESTS THROUGH TWITTER
Baku, July 20 (AZERTAC). Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez says his government has received nearly 288,000 pleas for help from citizens through his three-month-old Twitter account.
The controversial leftist leader signed onto Twitter in late April and has more than 673,000 followers. His address is @chavezcandanga. Candanga means devil in Spanish but in Venezuelan slang also can mean someone who is tireless or blunt.
His Twitter bio identifies Chavez as "president of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Bolivarian soldier, socialist and anti-imperialist."
Chavez follows six accounts, one of them dealing with former Cuban President Fidel Castro, a strong ally.
Speaking at an official function Monday, Chavez said he had received 287,921 requests for help through Twitter, the state-run AVN news service reported. A team of government workers processes each case, Chavez said.
"It`s another mechanism for contact with the public, to evaluate many things and to help many people," Chavez is quoted as saying.
Among the requests for help, Chavez said, 19,000 were for employment, 17,000 for a place to live, 12,000 for credit and 7,000 for legal aid.
Chavez also said he has received 139,000 favorable messages offering support, 88,000 complaints against someone and 66,000 unfavorable or critical messages.
A Twitter plea Monday night seems typical of several found on Chavez`s account.
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