Monday, December 1, 2008

Venezuelan president asks for indefinite presidential reelection

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez Sunday 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.

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