Freedom victorious in Venezuela.

Venezuelan voters delivered a stinging defeat to President Hugo Chávez on Sunday, blocking proposed constitutional changes that would have given him political supremacy and accelerated the transformation of this oil-rich country into a socialist state.

Hours after the final ballots were cast, the National Electoral Council announced at 1:15 a.m. local time Monday that voters, by a margin of 51 to 49 percent, had rejected 69 reforms to the 1999 constitution. The modifications would have permitted the president to stand for reelection indefinitely, appoint governors to provinces he would create and control Venezuela's sizable foreign reserves.

Chávez immediately went on national television and conceded before a roomful of government allies and other supporters. "I thank you and I congratulate you," Chávez said calmly, directing his comments to his foes. "I recognize the decision a people have made." Chávez admitted, though, that he had found himself in a quandary on Sunday night as votes were being tallied, because the vote was so close. But he said that with nearly 90 percent of 9 million ballots counted, it became clear that his opponents' victory was irreversible. "I came out of the dilemma," he said, "and I am calm."

Now the question is one of how much respect he shows for the outcome of this vote. Will he continue down the path of suppressing the opposition, or will he back off the moves towards dictatorship that have been his hallmark in recent years? Will he tone down his anti-American rhetoric? Or will we yet see a declaration of fraud by Chavez, and the forced implementation of some of these provisions at a later date?

Posted by: Greg at 11:30 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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