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| Caribbean-Latin America |
| Chavez Foes Obtain Venezuela Referendum -Official |
| 2004-06-03 |
| YEEESSSSSS!!! Another wannabe tyrant on his way out!! Venezuela’s opposition obtained enough signatures to trigger a referendum on the rule of President Hugo Chavez, electoral authorities said on Thursday. Senior National Electoral Council official Jorge Rodriguez said preliminary electronic results showed 2.45 million valid pro-referendum signatures had been ratified so far, more than the 2.44 million required. "This shows a clear tendency in favor of the possibility of calling a referendum on the rule of the president," Rodriguez said in a broadcast from the council headquarters in Caracas. Final definitive results would be released later. He said electoral authorities had decided to announce the early result to help maintain peace in the country. Before the announcement, violence broke out in downtown Caracas when pro-government rioters torched cars and trucks and gunmen attacked the office of the Caracas mayor, Alfredo Pena, an outspoken critic of left-winger Chavez. Rodriguez did not give a date for when the referendum would be held, but the electoral council had previously said it could be Aug. 8. |
| Posted by:Anonymous4617 |