Chávez and Foes Agree to a Referendum on His Rule

By JUAN FORERO

BOGOTÁ, Colombia, May 23 — After six months of bitter negotiations, President Hugo Chávez of Venezuela and his adversaries have agreed to sign an accord that would lead to a referendum on his rule, officials on both sides said today.

The agreement, brokered late Thursday by the Organization of American States in Caracas, the capital, calls on both sides to spurn violence. It is likely to lead to a referendum this year after a new electoral board is chosen to oversee the vote. Advertisement

The pact, to be signed Wenesday, does not provide a complete framework for how a referendum would be held. But it offers the prospect of calming months of tumult in Venezuela, a major oil exporter.

Uncharacteristically, the two sides agreed with each other today and hailed the agreement, which is meant to help heal a nation badly divided over its president. Mr. Chávez, a former paratrooper whose support comes mostly from the country's poor masses, has made enemies with his leftist policies since his election four years ago.

"It is a reasonably good document," Alejandro Armas, an opposition negotiator, told reporters. He added, "From our point of view there is reasonable satisfaction for the objectives reached."

In Peru, where he was attending a summit meeting of Latin American leaders, Mr. Chávez said the pact showed "that the opposition at last understands there is a Constitution that must be respected."

Mr. Chávez was briefly toppled by a coup in April 2002. His adversaries, a coalition of businessmen, labor groups and private media companies, have staged four national strikes since December 2001. The latest strike, a two-month walkout that began in December and ended in failure for the opposition, devastated the economy and temporarily shut down Venezuela's oil industry.

Opinion polls show that Mr. Chávez would most likely lose a referendum. Since the last strike, the economy has contracted by 29 percent, and a majority of Venezuelans tell pollsters they want a change. Still, he has been able to remain in power, and he enjoys an important level of support among the poor.