Deal Brokered on Referendum on Chavez

Posted on Fri, May. 23, 2003 FABIOLA SANCHEZ SunHerald.com-Associated Press

CARACAS, Venezuela - Supporters and opponents of President Hugo Chavez have agreed on a plan for a referendum on the president's rule, officials on both sides said Friday.

Opposition representative Juan Raffalli said the proposal also calls for votes on the mandates of other elected officials.

The agreement, brokered by the Organization of American States, prohibits any amendments to election laws while authorities prepare for balloting.

A government delegate involved in the negotiations, speaking on the condition of anonymity, confirmed an agreement had been reached with help from OAS chief Cesar Gaviria.

The pact, which came unexpectedly after six months of OAS-mediated negotiations and is slated to be signed next week, would end formal talks between the sides. It calls for the creation of a special committee, including envoys from the OAS, Atlanta-based Carter Center and United Nations, to ensure the accord is respected.

Opponents accuse Chavez of scaring off foreign investment and becoming increasingly authoritarian. The only democratic solution to the crisis that has dangerously divided this South American nation of 24 million, they argue, is holding a referendum on his rule.

Chavez denies the allegations. Opposition groups, he argues, aim to overthrow his government to regain privileges they lost when he swept to power on promises to cast aside entrenched political parties widely regarded as corrupt.

Chavez, a former paratrooper who led a failed 1992 coup attempt, was elected president in 1998 and re-elected to a six-year term in 2000. The leftist firebrand has vowed to defeat the opposition bid at the ballot box and says he could remain in power until 2021.