Chavez survives Venezuela vote

A referendum to oust Venezuela
President Hugo Chavez drew long
lines in Barrio Catia of Caracas.
The vote drew millions to the polls.
By Jerry Lara, AP via San Antonio
Express-News

Scattered protests erupted around Caracas on Monday as opposition leaders refused to accept results indicating Chavez won with 58% of the vote Sunday. They claimed there was fraud, even after former U.S. president Jimmy Carter and the Organization of American States endorsed the outcome. (Related video: More on Chavez)

A group of motorcyclists fired into an opposition protest Monday in a Caracas plaza, Fire Chief Rodolfo Briceno said. A 62-year-old woman was killed, and four people were injured. Opposition lawmaker Ernesto Alvarenga was among those hurt, Briceno said.

The brief violence highlighted Venezuela's deep divisions even as Chavez converted one of the biggest challenges of his presidency into an even broader mandate to carry on his "revolution for the poor." Chavez has bluntly challenged "imperialist" U.S. foreign policies and befriended Cuban President Fidel Castro.

AP Chavez


"Hopefully, from this day on Washington will respect the government and the people of Venezuela," Chavez said. He addressed thousands of supporters before dawn from a balcony at the presidential palace.

Venezuela is the world's fifth-largest oil exporter and provides almost 15% of U.S. oil imports. Chavez once said the two countries were condemned to have good relations.

News of Chavez's victory settled some fears that the country would plunge into chaos that would affect oil exports. Crude oil prices fell from record highs Monday.

Polling stations stayed open past midnight. Millions of voters waited up to 12 hours in lines. Carter said it was the biggest turnout of any election he has monitored. He estimated that almost 10 million citizens voted in the South American country of 24 million.

The opposition Democratic Coordinator coalition said its exit polls indicated the opposite of the official results: Almost 60% voting "yes" to remove Chavez and 40% voting "no." The coalition called for a manual count, saying they suspected election officials rigged touch-screen voting machines to reverse the outcome.

Two opposition-aligned directors of the National Elections Council complained they were not allowed to monitor the tallying of preliminary results, as the three pro-government directors did.

But Carter urged "all Venezuelans to accept the results and work together for the future." Speaking at a joint news conference Monday with OAS Secretary-General Cesar Gaviria, Carter said, "Our findings coincided with the partial returns announced today by the National Elections Council."

If election authorities deny a recount, opposition leaders can appeal to the Supreme Court, which opponents claim is stacked with Chavez allies.

Chavez's victory was reminiscent of past failures to oust the president. In April 2002, he survived a military coup that removed him for two days. He regained power following widespread street protests. Last year, he withstood pressure to resign during a two-month general strike that crippled the economy and paralyzed oil exports.

Despite an economic recession and 15% unemployment, he won widespread support by spending millions of dollars to teach adults to read, send Cuban doctors to slums and give loans to farmers and small businesses.

The opposition, splintered into small parties with contrasting ideologies, never came up with a clear plan for running Venezuela or a candidate to succeed Chavez.

Chavez, whose six-year term will end in January 2007, has momentum before regional elections in September and congressional elections in 2005. His allies control the National Assembly and most state governments.