Venezuelans give a 'yes' vote to President Hugo Chavez seeking to extend his term in office and bolstering support for his Socialist party.
Preliminary results in a referendum vote conducted Sunday showed that 54.36 percent of voters approved a constitutional amendment to scrap electoral term limits, the National Electoral Council president Tibisay Lucena said early Monday.
Chavez, 54, who has already ruled the country for 10 years, is now permitted to stand for re-election when his present term expires in 2013, bolstering support for his Socialist party and his anti-US policies.
Lucena added that 45.63 percent voted 'No' in the referendum that he said was conducted in a very calm atmosphere. "There has been a good turnout among the more than 16 million eligible voters," she said.
The margin of victory was larger than expected, as opinion polls before the vote had given Chavez only a slim lead.
Chavez, who celebrated the 10th anniversary of his rise to power earlier this month, said 'the truth has won over lies'.
Source: Canberra Times