Hugo Chavez faces political crisis as allies desert him

President Hugo Chavez, the 'socialist revolutionary' leading a global campaign against America's 'empire', is facing a political crisis in Venezuela where crucial elections are approaching and old allies have turned against him. Mr Chavez, a devoted admirer of Fidel Castro, has forged an anti-American front with leaders ranging from President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran. At home, however, Mr Chavez is in trouble. State elections are due in November and Venezuela's opposition, which now includes former followers of South America's standard-bearer for socialism, is expected to perform well. The constitution compels Mr Chavez to leave office when his term ends in 2013. He tried to remove this clause and dramatically extend his powers last December - but lost the necessary referendum.