Hugo Chavez addresses thousands of
Venezuelans from the `Balcony of the People' following the referendum victory.
[Click HERE for more coverage of the referendum campaign.]
A statement from the Australia–Venezuela Solidarity Network
February 17, 2009 -- On Sunday, February 15, Venezuelans voted in a referendum to change
the country’s constitution to allow elected officials to re-stand for
election without restriction. Previously, Venezuela’s constitution
allowed elected officials, including the president, to stand for only
two terms.
With 94.2% of the votes counted, the National Electoral Council
announced that the “Yes” vote had won with 6,003,584 votes (54.36%).
The “No” vote received 5,040,082 votes (45.63%). Dozens of election
observers from international bodies such as the United Nations and the
Organization of American States verified that the referendum was free
and fair.