Venezuelan Parties
Prepare Referendum
Caracas -
Venezuelan parties are
getting ready on Sunday
to wage the final battle
for a draft
Constitutional amendment
for continuous
re-election.
In an intensive
political life, with
barely no weekend
respite, followers of
President Hugo Chavez
remained in mass street
gatherings forming
pro-YES committees and
collecting firms
supporting the
initiative.
In meetings of their
national and regional
leaderships, opponents
left aside their
disagreements to form
their own pro-NO
commandos, in an
expression of a fragile
unity to avoid Chavez'
remaining in power.
The United Socialist
Party of Venezuela (PSUV)
and its allies consider
necessary a new Chavez'
term to guarantee the
process of changes
started in 1999.
Therefore, they proposed
in the National Assembly
to abolish the limit of
two presidential terms,
and Chavez added to it
the posts of governors,
mayors and legislators.
The final stage of this
battle will be a
referendum expected to
be held on February 15,
in preparation of which
PSUV's pro-YES
committees are set to
visit Venezuelans house
by house to explain the
content of the proposal.
This strategy is
intended to face an
opposition campaign to
present the initiative
as a Chavez's attempt to
remain in power.
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