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In a functioning democracy, of course, such charges might have been aired in the press when officials failed to respond. But Mr. Chávez has energetically clamped down on journalists and bullied many dissenters into silence or exile. In July, he warned that a victory for opposition candidate Henrique Capriles would “put an end to the social programs promoted during 14 years of government, and as a result the country would enter into a civil war.”