Venezuelans vote “yes” in reelection referendum

According to official results, a majority of Venezuelans voted in a referendum on Sunday to remove term limits from political offices including the presidency. The margin of victory according to Venezuela’s National Electoral Commission was by nearly 10% or roughly a million votes.

During a massive rally tonight President Hugo Chavez claimed that the vote represented a “victory for all Venezuelans” and a sign that his Bolivarian revolution would continue forward. Chavez added that he would run for a third straight presidential term in 2013 and read a brief congratulatory message sent to him by ex-Cuban president Fidel Castro.

In an interview on CNN en Español, opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez claimed that the vote represented a victory for “Goliath over David” and reiterated accusations over Chavez unfairly using state institutions to back the “yes” option. Lopez also mentioned that the opposition would back a “real alternative” to Chavez in the next presidential election.

Sunday’s election was a clear victory for Chavez whose previous bid for indefinite reelection was defeated in 2007 along with 68 other possible constitutional changes. According to Reuters:

(Chavez) is likely to interpret a clear victory as a license to push forward with policies such as strengthening state-backed community councils that could supplant opposition politicians and advancing land redistribution reforms.

At the same time, however, the results could help the opposition. They made several key gains in last November’s local elections that may not be lost in subsequent reelection bids.

Image- BBC News (Campaigners supporting the government-backed “Yes” option in Sunday’s national referendum)
Online Sources- FT.com, Guardian UK, Reuters, The Latin Americanist, Consejo Nacional Electoral, Bloomberg