"There's no turning back," Chavez said.
Opposition leaders claimed Friday's turnout was overwhelming.
"I saw lines that extended several blocks today. It was impressive," said opposition lawmaker Geraldo Blyde, who called last week's pro-Chavez drive "small and sullen."
Vice President Jose Vicente Rangel played down Friday's turnout, saying it was being exaggerated by opposition-aligned news media.
"They're trying to fool a lot of people using the media, but these ploys always fail," Rangel said.
The opposition also sought recalls against 34 pro-Chavez lawmakers.
Venezuela's labor ministry filed a formal complaint alleging that business owners were forcing employees to sign against Chavez. Opposition leaders accused state security forces of seizing petitions at some booths.
Election officials said they were investigating both claims.***
Chavez's statement raised questions about whether he would accept the results of the signature campaign. But international observers, who are monitoring the process, say it has gone smoothly except for a few isolated incidents. "People have been able to sign... and the process has been democratic and as far as our observers have been able to see, clean," said Organization of American States Secretary General Cesar Gaviria, who is leading the monitoring mission. Gaviria avoided being drawn on how the OAS would react if Chavez did not accept the results. But he said he was confident both sides would respect any decision by electoral authorities. The National Electoral Council, which is overseeing the process, has about 30 days to verify the validity of the signatures before deciding whether to allow a referendum, probably in April, on whether Chavez should end his mandate. ***