Hugo Chavez just grabbed some more land.

According to El Universal, the Venezuelan president just took over 34,595 acres of land in central Venezuela.

He threw in some pig farms, too, for agrotourism, the government said.

“We have to seize lands from there to here, through all these valleys, to fight large estates,” Chavez said. 

Chavez is known for his tendencies to nationalize private enterprises, ostensibly for the good of the state. It also appears to be a kind of game. He likes to appear on television, pointing at things and shouting, "Expropriate it!" to cheers from the audience. 

Read more: Chavez eyes luxury yachts

It's a populist move, of course, in a country that still has high levels of poverty. Chavez is an artful populist. When it was revealed the president had cancer and had shaved his head as he underwent chemotherapy, supporters turned out to see hi, their heads shorn in solidarity.

The president is also facing reelection in 2012. He's almost certain to win, but it can't hurt to garner a little more popular support with a fresh round of expropriations.

Former Libyan leader Muammar al-Gaddafi, who was confirmed killed on Thursday, didn't have a lot of friends.

He was never really welcomed in the circle of Arab leaders, who considered him more of an African than one of them. When Gaddafi turned south, he found few supporters among African leaders. 

All that makes Gaddafi's friendship with Hugo Chavez even more particular. Venezuela's president has been a staunch ally of Gaddafi from the beginning. 

Chavez has been battling cancer, flying to Cuba regularly for medical care. He returned on Thursday from Havana after another round of treatment, but didn't have anything immediately to say about his friend's death.

But as the rebellion in Libya began, Chavez was out front, condemning the uprising.

As other leaders slowly began to recognize the transitional government, Chavez made a point of declaring that he would not recognize the rebels. In March, Chavez offered to try to broker a truce between the two sides. The rebels turned him down.

When Tripoli fell, Chavez released yet another statement upbraiding the rebellion as "imperial madness." But there would be more.

Looks like Hugo Chavez is already delving into his bag of pre-election tricks.

Chavez announced this week that he would nationalize the gold industry, and ordered home some 200 tons of gold the country had stored with European and American banks. The decision was taken in part, he said, because of the U.S. debt crisis and fears of instability in Europe. Chavez argued that the gold would be safer at home or with allied countries, such as China.

“I agree with bringing that home,” Chavez said on state television, according to Bloomberg. “It’s a healthy decision.”

Chavez already has plenty of cash—Venezuela sits on the largest oil reserves in the world. But with presidential elections coming next year, Chavez may also be looking to secure other assets as he prepares for his campaign.