The government will now be able to expropriate land without being challenged in court, and remove the right to a passport from those it deems a danger to security, with no appeal.

ECONOMIST: After the flood

Then he proceeded to reinforce a third world discourse by pointing out that the world is dominated by a minority of dictators that try to impose an economic order, subjugate African and indigenous peoples and expropriate land that "does not belong to them".

CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: Latin American leaders at the UN

In western Venezuela farmers, in many cases backed by their labourers, have blocked roads to prevent the army from executing a presidential order to expropriate their land around Lake Maracaibo.

ECONOMIST: Hugo Ch��vez's Venezuela

He was particularly concerned about the plans to expropriate and redistribute land - measures that he said could fall victim to subjective criteria.

BBC: Ecuador's poor bank on referendum