Venezuelan president asks for indefinite presidential reelection
1/12/2008 16:10
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez yesterday urged his supporters to seek a
new constitutional amendment which would allow indefinite presidential
reelection.
"Chavez is not leaving. Chavez is staying, if God wants and gives
me life, I will be with you until 2019 or 2021," Chavez told a rally celebrating
the recent election of Mayor of Caracas Jorge Rodriguez.
Venezuela held
regional elections on Nov. 23 with a record high turnout of 65 percent
registered voters.
While Chavez's United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV)
won 17 states, the opposition party gained the other five states and the capital
city of Caracas.
Under such circumstances, Chavez put forward his proposal
for the indefinite reelection, saying that the Venezuelan right extreme, who won
the most populous states, is against the institutions, the people and his
authority.
According to the Venezuelan constitution, the presidential term
lasts six years and the president can be reelected only once.
Chavez proposed
last year to extend the presidential term to seven years and abolish the
reelection limit, but his proposal was voted down in a referendum.
Xinhua
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