Venezuelan Opposition Files to Seek Referendum on Chavez

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Thursday, August 21, 2003

Venezuelan Opposition Files to Seek Referendum on Chavez

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Venezuelan opposition groups Wednesday presented elections officials with 3.2 million signatures calling for the removal of President Hugo Ch��vez, the first step in a new effort to oust the leftist leader through a constitutional recall referendum.

Hundreds of thousands of antigovernment demonstrators clogged streets in the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, after opposition leaders presented the petitions to the National Electoral Council. The council has 30 days to verify the validity of the signatures, and a referendum must be held within 60 days after that.

It still appeared likely that a referendum, facing an array of legal hurdles, is months away. Officials in the government said they had problems with the collection of the signatures.

The Bush administration has strongly supported a referendum to resolve the political tumult in Venezuela, an oil-rich country of 25 million. Stability in Venezuela is crucial to American policy makers, who see the Andean country as a critical component in the supply chain of oil to the United States.

Under the Venezuelan Constitution, a referendum is allowed halfway through the president's six-year term. Mr. Chavez, who was re-elected in 2000, reached that milestone on Tuesday.

Source: Agencies

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