Venezuelan soldiers have temporarily shut down dozens of retail stores across the country in an effort to prevent price hikes.<br /><br />The closures - on government orders - come days after Hugo Chavez, the Venezuelan president, devalued the national currency from 2.15 to the dollar to 2.60 for basic goods.<br /><br />The move means Venezuelans will have to spend 20 per cent more on essential items like food and that has prompted a rush on goods that residents fear could become more expensive.<br /><br />But as Al Jazeera's Roger Wilkison reports, opposition leaders have denounced the devaluation as a thinly veiled attempt to generate more government spending ahead of congressional elections in September. Jan 12, 2010
