Venezuela: Mass voting turnout

2004-08-16 08:30

Caracas - Voters in polarised Venezuela turned out in huge numbers and waited in line for hours on Sunday in a referendum on the mandate of leftist President Hugo Chavez, which stretched late into the night.

Surprised by the massive turnout and a slower than expected voting process, electoral officials decided not to close polling stations until midnight.

As numerous voters still waited to cast their ballots late on Sunday, authorities, who prohibited publication of exit polls, gave no indication as to which way the recall vote was going.

There were fears a close result could trigger violent clashes between Chavez supporters and foes whose sporadic battles have killed scores of people in the past two years.

As the recall referendum was under way, unknown gunmen fired at voters waiting to cast their ballots just outside Caracas, killing one person and wounding 10 others, according to the capital's fire chief Rodolfo Briceno.

In another incident in the Petare suburb, masked gunmen fired in the air and unfurled the banner of a hardcore pro-Chavez group, causing panic among voters, witnesses said.

But on the whole, observers appeared satisfied with the voting process late on Sunday, and former US President Jimmy Carter congratulated electoral authorities on their "heroic performance".

A beaming Chavez welcomed the massive turnout. "It is a true democratic fiesta," he told state-run television. "It is a battle that resounds worldwide."

Some 14 million registered voters, eager to cast their ballots early, showed up before dawn, when buglers and fireworks echoed across Caracas to rally more voters.

Foes of Chavez had pressed for the referendum, accusing the charismatic president of wasting the country's oil wealth and of seeking to emulate his close friend Fidel Castro, the leader of communist Cuba.

But Chavez claims the opposition is seeking to regain the privileges it used to enjoy before he launched the self-styled revolution he claims is lifting millions of Venezuelans out of poverty.

His popularity got a strong boost from recent spending on highly popular health programme made possible by a windfall brought on by record oil prices.

Chavez warned that only his electoral triumph could guarantee crude shipments from the world's fifth oil exporter, claiming that an opposition victory would lead to a privatisation Venezuela's huge state oil firm, which would prompt oil workers to stage a crippling strike.

There have been market concerns that a victory by the opposition, which last year staged a two-month oil sector strike could affect exports - notably to the United States, where Venezuelan shipments accounts for 15% of oil imports.

In order to revoke the president's mandate, the opposition needed to win a majority of the votes and match the 3.75 million ballots Chavez garnered in 2000, two years after he was first elected and eight years after he tried to grab power in a failed military coup.

- AFP