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Venezuela

Voting starts on whether Chavez can stand again

Article published on the 2009-02-15 Latest update 2009-02-15 13:23 TU

A mural in Caracas calls for a yes vote(Photo: Reuters)

A mural in Caracas calls for a yes vote
(Photo: Reuters)

Venezuelans have started voting in a referendum on whether to abolish limits on the number of times the President can hold office. Current President Hugo Chavez wants to stand again to continue his "Bolivarian socialist revolution", while opposition parties say he is trying to grab all power in the country.

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"I have an exalted faith in respect of Sunday's result - the triumph of the people, the constitution," Chavez said before the vote, adding that he is more optimistic than he was before a referendum in 2007 when the proposal was turned down.

"Most of the polls I’ve seen, including even some opposition pollsters in Venezuela, are showing the Chavez camp with a lead at this point," says analyst Dan Beeton in Washington DC. "It’s not surprising, considering the economic and social gains that Venezuela has made under Chavez in the past ten years."

Chavez has widespread support among the poor, Beeton told RFI, since poverty has been reduced by more than half since the nationalisation of oil in 2004.

Analysis: Dan Beeton, Center for Economic and Policy Research, Washington DC

 
 

15/02/2009 by Salil Sarkar

A number of democratic countries have no term limits for heads of state or government, Beeton points out. The US introduced such a measure in 1951 and a number of countries have since followed suit.

Venezuela's opposition argues that alternating power is important to democracy and has accused Chavez of abusing state resources to fund the "Yes" campaign.

Spain on Sunday protested at Venezuela's expulsion of Spanish Euro-deputy Luis Herrero, who was observing the referendum at the invitation of an opposition party.

While calling on Venezuelans to vote freely, Herrero who belongs to the right-wing People's Party, referred to Chavez as a dictator and criticised the extension of voting by two hours.

About 100 international observers have been given accreditation but neither the Organisation of American States nor the European Union have sent official observers.