Venezuela Court Moves to Break Referendum Deadlock

yahoo.comnews ^ | August 4, 2003 | Reuters

[Cincinatus' Wife]

CARACAS, Venezuela (Reuters) - Venezuela's Supreme Court said on Monday it would designate an electoral authority to organize a referendum on President Hugo Chavez's rule if the National Assembly failed to make the appointment in 10 days.

The country's top tribunal moved to break the long-running political deadlock between supporters and opponents of Chavez,which has raised doubts about when, or even if, the referendum will be held.

"We will name a National Electoral Council if the Assembly does not do so in 10 days," Supreme Court President Ivan Rincon told reporters. He said the court would give itself 10 days to appoint the council if it were required to take that step.

In the National Assembly, lawmakers loyal and opposed to the leftist president have been haggling for weeks over the composition of the 15-member electoral body.

Without it, no elections of any kind can be held. The court had declared the previous National Electoral Council unfit to organize an election.

Under Venezuela's constitution, a referendum on Chavez's rule can be held after Aug. 19, halfway through his current mandate. Chavez has ruled the world's No. 5 oil exporter since winning a 1998 election,

Foes of the populist Chavez, who survived a brief coup last year, say he and his government want to avoid a vote. They accuse him of trying to implant Cuban-style communism and of ruining the oil-rich economy with left-wing policies that increase the role of the state.

The Organization of American States and foreign governments have been pressing Chavez and his opponents to accept a referendum as the best way to resolve the often violent political crisis that has shaken Venezuela for more than a year.

Chavez, who weathered a grueling opposition strike in December and January that pushed the country deeper into recession, has said he is ready to submit to a referendum but only if the opposition completes the required steps.

This includes collecting the signatures of at least 20 percent of voters to trigger the recall vote. Chavez has also demanded a detailed check of the national voting register, which he says includes forgeries and the names of dead people.

His adversaries say he is using these bureaucratic hurdles to try to stall the vote. They have promised a campaign of street protests starting Aug. 19 to ensure the referendum goes ahead.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Hugo Chavez - Venezuela

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez holds the sword of Simon Bolivar in Caracas, during a ceremony celebrating the 220th anniversary of the birth of the national hero, July 24, 2003. Two thirds of Venezuelans disapprove of President Chavez's government, his lowest approval rating since taking office more than four years ago, according to a survey published on Thursday. Venezuela has faced political instability for more than a year as Chavez's opponents stepped up a campaign to oust a leader they accuse of driving the world's No. 5 oil exporter to economic ruin and favoring Cuba-style communism. REUTERS/Howard Yanes

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Recall vote in Venezuela stalls - Chavez pokes fun at drive***CARACAS - The 64 boxes, in four-foot stacks, are packed with the signatures of nearly four million Venezuelans who want a recall referendum on President Hugo Chávez. But they sit in storage, waiting for the end of a political stalemate blocking any prospect that Venezuelans will vote soon on their president and resolve a crisis that has polarized and all but paralyzed their nation for 16 months.

The National Assembly cannot agree on the fifth and final member of the elections council that would supervise the vote. Political leaders can't agree on whether those signatures are even valid. And Chávez, predictably, doesn't think the vote should take place at all. ''It seems there will be a referendum soon. Yes, in the United States there will be a referendum soon,'' Chávez said in a speech this week, poking fun at the drive to recall California Gov. Gray Davis. ``Didn't you see the news?''***

[ARepublicanForAllReasons]

And the chess game continues...
Hugo and Gray Davis probably call each other regularly these days to share strategy and advice.

[Libertarianize the GOP]

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