Venezuelan referendum ends with suspense over results

Hugo Chavez
©AFP - Yuri Cortez

CARACAS - A referendum in Venezuela aimed at greatly bolstering President Hugo Chavez's powers ended Sunday with suspense over the result, expected to be close.

If official results show a "yes" vote, Chavez would emerge as one of Latin America's most powerful leaders, with the right to stand for re-election indefinitely and with tighter control over his oil-rich country.

If "no" prevails, it would be the worst blow Chavez has ever suffered at the ballot box during his eight-year rule. He would be able to see though his current mandate -- due to expire in January 2013 -- but would then be required to step down.

Defense Minister Gustavo Rangel Briceno announced that polling stations closed as scheduled at 4:00 pm (2000 GMT), but the head of the National Electoral Council, Tibisay Lucena, said some centers still had lines of voters whose ballots had to be processed.

During that time, no exit poll data would be released, she said.

Venezuelan citizens line up waiting for their turn to vote
©AFP - Rodrigo Arangua

"We have to wait for the electoral results," Lucena said.

Chavez, a 53-year-old former paratrooper, pushed his referendum to overhaul the constitution hard through weeks of protests. Opponents said its measures amounted to turning Venezuela into an elected dictatorship.

His campaign to impose "economic socialism" on the country through constitutional changes that also included giving the government the right to expropriate property and to gag the media in times of emergency divided voters.

The referendum also called for giving Chavez the power to name new regional officials and to end the central bank's autonomy. Sweeteners included a shorter workweek and the reinforcement of agencies handing out generous public spending.

Venezuelan National Guard soldiers search for their names on a list prior to voting
©AFP - Yuri Cortez

Many segments of the 27-million-strong population felt the measures went too far, including many poor people, considered traditional supporters of Chavez, and former allies including former defense minister Raul Baduel.

The president said when he cast his ballot that he would "accept the result." He asked the opposition to do the same.

Previously, in his campaigning, the fiery leftwing leader labeled all those opposing him as "traitors."

He has also warned he would halt oil exports to the United States if violence he suspects is being fomented by the US Central Intelligence Agency breaks out after the vote.

Chavez, who first came to power in 1999, has said he wants to remain in charge "until 2050," when he would be 95.

An Army soldier keeps watch at the entrance of a polling station as citizens queue up to vote
©AFP - Juan Barreto

Tulio Hernandez, a professor at the Central University of Venezuela, said the president's undeniable charisma played a crucial role in swaying many voters in favor of the referendum.

"People have never voted to support his socialist projects," Hernandez told AFP. "But he is a living incarnation of the savior, which is a very Latin American tradition."

Fears of fraud were voiced in some of the centers after the discovery that the ink used to color voters' thumbs as they arrived for their ballots was easily removed.

A Venezuelan soldier patrols along a long line of citizens queuing up to vote
©AFP - Juan Barreto

But Vicente Diaz, a member of the National Electoral Council, dismissed the complaints, saying the ink had been approved by officials and the opposition before polling began.

Unlike in past elections, there were no EU or Organization of American States election monitors, only international observers invited by the government.

University students who had led the street protests against the reform were also accredited as observers.

One of them, Aldo Yallonardo, 20, told AFP: "The people will not allow any fraud to take place."