Venezuelan MPs okay term-limit vote

Venezuela’s congress gave their initial approval to a referendum that could scrap presidential term limits.

"President Chavez' leadership is needed for much longer, until ... the revolution is consolidated," declared National Assembly president Cilia Flores yesterday after legislators debated the constitutional amendment. Electoral officials said that the referendum could take place as early as March depending on the legislature’s actions. If approved, the measure could permit President Hugo Chavez to run indefinitely for reelection starting in 2012.

Earlier this month, Chavez called on his supporters to back his push for being reelected “until 2019 or 2021.” Thus far, Chavez’ backers have heeded his call:

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez’s party members turned in 4.76 million signatures to the National Assembly to show support for the socialist leader’s proposal to run for another term.

Thousands of Venezuelan United Socialist Party members gathered in downtown Caracas…forming a human chain to pass boxes full of signatures, according to images broadcast by state television…

“The Venezuelan people have responded as we expected,” said Jorge Rodriguez, the mayor of a municipality in Caracas and socialist party leader, according to an e-mailed statement from the government’s Information and Communications Ministry.

Image- AFP
Sources- The Latin Americanist, Bloomberg, AP, Voice of America