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High turnout in key vote for Chavez in Venezuela
(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-11-24 10:34 CARACAS, Venezuela -- Millions of Venezuelans turned out to choose state governors and mayors Sunday in elections that could either boost or seriously set back President Hugo Chavez's quest for a new mandate.
He faced an emboldened opposition aiming to break his dominance and win back power in key states and cities. "We're prepared to recognize any result," Chavez said after voting in Caracas. The vote could force Chavez to deal with more hostile opponents at the local level, or help him lay the groundwork to extend his rule beyond 2013, when his six-year term ends. Turnout was heavy as hundreds of Venezuelans formed long lines to cast ballots, and the queues remained at some polling stations after dark. There were 16.8 million Venezuelans registered to vote, and Chavez's socialist party estimated a turnout of about 60 percent. Preliminary results were expected late Sunday. Chavez said the elections, held one year after voters defeated his attempt to abolish term limits, could decide "the future of the revolution, the future of socialism and also the future of Hugo Chavez." Candidates included Chavez's brother, Adan, who was trying to succeed their father as governor of Barinas state, and the president's ex-wife, Marisabel Rodriguez, running as an opposition mayoral candidate in one district of Barquisimeto. After a decade in office, Chavez still enjoys solid popularity and has maintained control of most local posts. But last year's defeat energized the opposition, which has also sought to capitalize on complaints about rampant crime, corruption and inflation. Chavez said Venezuela's automated voting system is one of the most "transparent, quickest, most secure in the world." He urged all to respect the outcome. Pre-election polls showed Chavez's candidates leading in a majority of races, while the opposition was ahead or in tight races in several of Venezuela's most populous states. Aquiles Vera, a 47-year-old construction worker who voted in a Caracas slum, said he supported Chavez's candidates and believed the president's ability to stay in office was at stake. Vera said he fears a loss for pro-Chavez candidates could mean "all the president's plans would collapse, like the missions (social programs), cheap food, medicines." But in the second-largest city of Maracaibo, Isabel Cepeda said she was fed up with corruption and trash-strewn streets, and planned to vote for opposition challenger Manuel Rosales for mayor. Cepeda, 52, said it was also a vote against Chavez. "We want democracy to continue in our country, and it's now held hostage," Cepeda said. "If we stay on this path, we're headed toward being a second Cuba." Chavez supporters already control congress and critics say the Supreme Court is in his pocket. The president campaigned hard to keep his allies in state houses and city halls. At least 106 people were detained by authorities during the vote, many for destroying balloting materials such as voter receipts, the attorney general's office said. Six were arrested in Guarico state for allegedly attacking voters at a polling station. But electoral agency chief Tibisay Lucena said voting went smoothly and there was a "massive" turnout. Polling stations where there were lines were permitted to remain open until all had cast ballots, a common practice in Venezuelan elections. In 2004 state elections, Chavez allies swept all but two of 23 governorships and a majority of local offices. This year, 22 governorships, 330 mayoral posts and other offices are at stake. A list of 272 would-be candidates, including some prominent Chavez opponents, were disqualified earlier this year by the country's top anti-corruption official, who said they faced corruption accusations. The Supreme Court upheld the move despite opposition protests. |
