| But perhaps not the vote fraud. Major EFL to just the new stuff. |
President Hugo Chavez survived a referendum to oust him, according to results Monday, prompting his backers to set off fireworks and celebrate in the capital, while Venezuela's opposition swiftly claimed fraud. With 94 percent of the votes counted, Chavez had 58 percent of the vote and the opposition 42 percent, according to Francisco Carrasquero, president of the National Elections Council. But Carrasquero stopped short of declaring Chavez the outright winner.
Chavez, the champion of Venezuela's majority poor and the nemesis of the wealthier classes, claimed victory and said he would continue to wage his "revolution for the poor." "Venezuela has changed forever," he said in a speech. "There is no turning back." He also claimed repeatedly that opposition leaders were pawns of President Bush. "Hopefully, from this day on Washington will respect the government and people of Venezuela," Evita Chavez boomed from a palace balcony.
| We already do, more than he does. |
Carrasquero said 4,991,483 votes were cast against recalling the former army paratrooper, and 3,576,517 in favor. Opposition leaders refused to accept the results and demanded a manual recount, claiming their own exit polls showed almost 60 percent of citizens voted to oust Chavez. At opposition headquarters in Caracas, opponents watching Carrasquero's announcement on television shouted, "Fraud! Fraud!" "We categorically and absolutely reject these results," said Henry Ramos Allup, leader of the Democratic Coordinator coalition of opposition parties. "The National Elections Council has committed a gigantic fraud." Indicating a possible split in the five-member elections council, Sobella Mejia - who is aligned with the opposition - told a news conference before the tallies were announced that any release of partial figures would be premature and invalid. |