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Chávez poll victory makes him 'President Unstoppable'
Ed Harris16 Feb 2009
Venezuela has paved the way for Hugo Chávez to stand for re-election as president after voting to lift limits on terms in office for elected officials.
President Chávez, who has said he must stay in office beyond the end of his second term in 2012 to secure Venezuela's "socialist revolution", pledged to remain in power for another decade.
Opponents accepted defeat but gave a warning that Chávez was becoming a dictator.
With 94 per cent of votes counted, 54 per cent backed ending the term limits, a National Electoral Council official said today.
Fireworks exploded above the capital, Caracas, and crowds celebrated in the streets, waving red flags and honking horns.
They cheered as the former paratroop commander appeared on a balcony outside his Miraflores Palace to sing the national anthem and address the crowd.
"Those who voted 'yes' today voted for socialism, for revolution," the President said. He called the victory - which allows all public officials to run for re-election indefinitely - a mandate to speed his transformation of Venezuela into a socialist state.
"Today we opened wide the gates of the future," he said. "In 2012 there will be presidential elections and, unless God decides otherwise, unless the people decide otherwise, this soldier is a candidate."
There were emotional scenes at the campaign headquarters of his rivals as several opposition leaders said they would not contest the vote.
"We're democrats. We accept the results," said opposition leader Omar Barboza. But they said the results were skewed by President Chávez's broad use of state resources to get out the vote, through a battery of state-run news media, pressure on two million public employees and frequent speeches all TV stations must air.
Opponents say President Chávez has too much power, with the courts, legislature and election council all under his influence.
Removing the 12-year presidential term limit, they say, makes him unstoppable. "This will become a dictatorship," Mr Barboza said.
Voters on both sides said the referendum was crucial to the future of Venezuela, where the president has used oil wealth to tackle social inequality.
Supporters say he has given the poor cheap food, free education and quality health care after decades of US-backed governments that favoured the rich.
Venezuela's Left-wing allies in Latin America have copied him. Ecuador pushed through a new constitution in September and Bolivia did so last month.
Both loosened rules on the re-election of their president.
Reader views (3)
Alan Rex: you confuse democracy with populism. Democracy is a short hand for something much more than rule by a majority vote. It also involves a set of institutional checks and balances to avoid the abuse of power by a group or individual. This vote does not necessarily mean that Venezuela will cease to be a democracy, but with other changes that Chavez has made it does not bode well for the future. The cult of personality is never a healthy thing.
- Alan, London, 16/02/2009 17:51
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Ethan, in a democracy poeple vote for their leaders. The Venezuelan people have voted for Chavez and the change in law which allows Chavez and others to last as long as the UK PM is allowed to do so. How you can claim he is dictator is beyond me.
I salute the Venezuelan people and its great President who had the courage to kick out the Isreali ambassador.
- Alan Rex, London, UK, 16/02/2009 13:28
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I bet Gordon is envious. Expect 'fact finding' trips soon to find out exactly how to fiddle (or should that be fidel?) an election.
Pres Chavez - Dictator for life....hmmm whilst the left no doubt consider that a good thing most freedom loving people will consider it a disaster of epic proportions.
Still 'Beware the ide's of March' Hugo. Beware those ide's.
- Ethan, UK, 16/02/2009 13:09
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