Chavez loses vote on new powers in Venezuela

Reuters ^ | Mon Dec 3, 2007 12:32am ET

[james500]

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez lost a tight vote on Sunday in a referendum on giving him new powers and scrapping term limits on his left-wing rule.

The national electoral authority said early on Monday the "No" camp won 51 percent of the vote compared to the pro-Chavez "Yes" camp's 49 percent.

It said the trend could not be reserved and declared Chavez the loser.

The referendum vote on a raft of reforms would have allowed Chavez to run for reelection indefinitely, control Venezuela's foreign currency reserves, appoint loyalists over regional elected officials and censor the media if he declares an emergency.

Chavez has said he wants to rule for life and turn Venezuela into a socialist state. But defeat will likely put the Cuba ally under intense pressure to slow or halt his self-declared socialist revolution and step down when his term ends in 2013.

Chavez called the referendum vote "a photo finish".

(Additional reporting by Fabian Andres Cambero, Patricia Rondon and Jorge Silva, Writing by Saul Hudson; Editing by Kieran Murray)

[Atchafalaya]

Well it was long enough to stir a gumbo from .......

[Michael81Dus]

“Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. but it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning. ... Here we are, and here we stand, a veritable rock of salvation in this drifting world. ...”

[america4vr]

Let me get this one more time. I remove the sword, plunge it deep
into my belly, twist it several times, pull it out and repeat. Got it!

[FastCoyote]

Incredible, I could never have guessed Chavez would lose.

[Nextrush]

A lot of No’s were planning to stay home according to some polls.

[Nextrush]

He will have to pull a “Reichstag Fire” trick out of his hat to justify what he wants to do.

[ApplegateRanch]

Is Jimmah Catarrh on his way to look for the irregularities that cost poor Mr. Chavez his well deserved, overwhelming victory?

[Seadog Bytes]

EXCELLENT! ...Thanks!

[4woodenboats]

He can have about five more referendums before that time. Venezuelans can only hope the tide has turned for him

The only thing that's going to stop him is if his bullet riddled corpse floats out to sea on one of those tides.

[Recovering_Democrat]

I am sure Hugo has a "plan B"....there are FIVE more years until the next scheduled Presidential election. Let's see what happens in the interim.

My guess: heavier crackdowns on his political enemies, and severe punishments for the local "allies" of Hugo who didn't "persuade" enough votes to show up in the ballot box.

[Recovering_Democrat]

Maria Conchita Alfonso...

Who is she? Just curious.

[WoofDog123]

happily would have bet money against it, even at absurd odds

clearly someone screwed up on his end.

[Republican Wildcat]

He’s there until 2013 anyway? Goodness. He can have this vote again, can’t he?

[Caipirabob]

WoooHooo!!! That means the vote was too big to cheat!

=D

The problem with "useful idiots" is just like the "Gore-Fraud of 2000", they just can't count reliably. They didn't manufacture enough votes in time before they got busted.

[gridlock]

There was a quote, which escapes me now, as the EU Constitution ratification was failing in France, “If it passes, we continue. If it fails, we proceed”.

I do not expect Hugo Chavez to give up easily. His next attempt will be to try to pass these things piecemeal.

[gridlock]

He can have about five more referendums before that time. Venezuelans can only hope the tide has turned for him.

Many people opposed to the referendum were calling for a boycott of this vote because they did not what to legitimize the process. This win should put an end to that nonsense. When you stay home, you let the bad guys win (sound familiar?)

Hopefully, voting against Hugo Chavez will become a good habit for the people of Venezuela...

[xtinct]

[rightwingintelligentsia]

Maria Conchita Alonso is a Cuban-born actress who lived in Venezuela. She's a vocal critic of Hugo. (Sort of the anti-Naomi Campbell, with brains.)

[newzjunkey]

It’s only 2007. He’s not out until 2013. He’ll be back again.

[gridlock]

Didn't she star in The Running Man with Ahnold?