Chavez faces possible recall in tumultuous Venezuela
Friday, June 4, 2004 7:32 AM PDT
By Associated Press
Printable version
E-mail this articleCARACAS, Venezuela -- Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said Thursday he'll accept a probable recall referendum on his presidency, predicting he will defeat the opposition in "the decisive battle."
"I accept it. I accept it," Chavez said in a nationwide broadcast hours after Venezuela's elections council projected that Chavez would face a recall vote, opening a turbulent new phase in this oil-producing nation's volatile power struggle.
Chavez welcomed the news, saying it was a triumph for Venezuelan democracy. He said it disproved opposition allegations that he was steering the country into dictatorship -- and vowed to win the referendum.
Chavez noted that the elections council had yet to officially call a referendum.
Thousands of the president's supporters rallied outside the Miraflores presidential palace.
Earlier, sporadic political violence gripped parts of the capital, with Chavez supporters setting fire to cargo trucks, severely beating opposition lawmaker Rafael Marin outside Congress, and opening fire on the offices of Caracas' opposition mayor and a television station. One police officer died after being hit by a vehicle fleeing from the violence, said Caracas police chief Lazaro Forero.
Based upon a count of roughly 40 percent of voter signatures, Chavez opponents had gathered 2,451,821 signatures on petitions to demand the referendum -- surpassing the required 2,436,083 signatures, National Elections Council director Jorge Rodriguez said Thursday.
Venezuela's opposition immediately released its own tally, saying it had obtained 2.56 million signatures.
Opposition leaders cheered and hugged each other at the headquarters of the coalition pushing for the vote, celebrating their first victory after a string of defeats, including a botched 2002 coup attempt and two-month general strike last year that failed to topple Chavez but ruined the economy.
"We did it!" said Enrique Mendoza, the governor of Miranda state and leader of the Democratic Coordinator opposition coalition. "These signatures represent millions of Venezuelans who want to live in democracy and peace."
Information Minister Jesse Chacon said Thursday's announcement proved Venezuela's democracy was strong despite opposition allegations that Chavez was steering the country into dictatorship. He said Chavez would address the nation later Thursday.
"Undoubtedly, the democracy that we want -- participative democracy -- exists," Chacon told state television station Venezolana de Television.
For a recall to succeed, more citizens would have to vote against Chavez than the 3.76 million people who re-elected him in 2000.
The council also approved recall referendums against nine opposition lawmakers, Rodriguez said. He did not announce dates for the votes, which would likely further polarize the world's No. 5 oil exporter.
Security officials quelled the violence Thursday after pro-Chavez protesters beat opposition lawmaker Rafael Marin, fired shots at Radio Caracas Television and El Nacional newspaper and sacked the offices of Asi es la Noticia newspaper.
More than 200 Chavez supporters demonstrated near the elections council building. They also blocked roads with passenger buses, spray-painting "No to fraud" on the sides.
Several blocks away, a few Chavez sympathizers briefly opened fire on the offices of Caracas Mayor Alfredo Pena, a government opponent.
Rodriguez' announcement came after months of wrangling over the recall petition, first submitted in December. Both sides had accused each other of cheating during the petition process, and mutual accusations flew earlier Thursday.
Government supporters claimed the opposition used thousands of fake ID cards to bolster its number of signatures. Several government investigations into alleged fraud were continuing.
The opposition accused the government of tampering with petitions after federal agents were discovered sifting through petitions inside a vault at the National Elections Council late Wednesday.
Sobella Mejias, another elections council director, said Thursday their presence was illegal. But Rodriguez said the agents were authorized to be there to look for fraud.
Already, the Carter Center and the Organization of American States have voiced concern over what they called "serious" delays this week in the petition count. They also warned against last-minute changes in procedures by the elections council, a majority of whose directors are widely seen as sympathetic to Chavez.
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