Venezuelans vote “No” on constitutional changes

As we mentioned roughly twelve hours ago, a slim margin of Venezuelan voters opted to reject the constitutional reforms backed by President Hugo Chavez. Some sources cited exit polls taken Sunday night showed a victory for the pro-reformers, yet ultimately the “No” option won both voting options by roughly 2% in a referendum marked by abstentions and lack of violence.

In the U.S., a majority of Venezuelan expats voted against the reforms. According to “unofficial sources” at the consulate in Miami, nearly 99% of voters chose to vote “No.”

Past and present White House officials expressed their pleasure with the results of yesterday’s referendum. Former Defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld came out of the woodwork to warn that a Chavez win would’ve signaled the end of “the few remaining vestiges of Venezuelan democracy.” White House spokeswoman Dana Perino was a little more tempered in her remarks which alluded to the RCTV controversy earlier this year:

Bush spokeswoman Dana Perino told reporters that Chavez's defeat "bodes well ... for freedom and liberty."

"It looks like the people spoke their minds," she said. "It was a close vote ... that's despite the opposition not being able to get out on TV and make its point."

Chavez was very graceful in defeat and he congratulated the opposition for their electoral victory. Sunday’s referendum served as the first “significant setback" to Chavez’ rule, yet he declared that it was a “temporary loss” and said he would find some other manner to introduce his constitutional changes.

Why did the referendum fail? According to the Christian Science Monitor:

Analysts say that many of the reforms on the ballot Sunday, including defining Venezuela as a socialist state, were too radical for some voters, and that an amendment to abolish term limits was seen as a power grab. Although he remains widely popular and opponents only won by two points, Venezuelans rejected a new Constitution that would have forged the way for him to become the most powerful leader in Latin America. Now his vision for the country will be limited by this defeat and a by new class of opposition that is emerging.

Sources (English)- Reuters Canada, Bloomberg, Christian Science Monitor, BBC News, The Latin Americanist, AFP, Reuters UK

Sources (Spanish)- RCN, El Universal

Images- BBC News (Hugo Chavez holds up miniature copies of Venezuela’s current constitution and the modified version he backed)