Venezuelan rivals sign pact for vote on Chavez's rule; opposition doubts persist

CHRISTOPHER TOOTHAKER, Associated Press Writer Thursday, May 29, 2003
(05-29) 12:48 PDT CARACAS, Venezuela (<a href=www.sfgate.com>AP) --

Venezuela's government and opposition signed an agreement Thursday that requires them not to seek changes to election laws as they prepare for a referendum on the rule of President Hugo Chavez.

The agreement ended six months of negotiations sponsored by the Organization of American States between rivals engaged in a power struggle that produced a short-lived coup and a crippling general strike.

Opposition leaders feared pro-Chavez lawmakers would amend election laws to put obstacles in way of the referendum.

Chavez said he hoped the agreement would compel "those who have taken the path of violence and coups" to abide by the constitution.

"I feel happy," Chavez said in a nationally televised address. "There are no winners and losers. The government won't say we've won, and I hope the opposition won't either. Let's say the country won."

OAS Secretary General Cesar Gaviria called on political rivals to "make every effort" to see that the agreement is respected. Gaviria said he would return to Venezuela "if the sides require him to do so."

"The two sides should resolve any impasse that could present itself," Gaviria said.

Diplomats from countries that supported the talks -- the United States, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Portugal and Spain -- witnessed the signing ceremony.

Both sides agreed the best way to resolve their differences over Chavez's continued rule would be a binding referendum on whether the president should step down.

Venezuela's constitution allows the vote if citizens gather signatures from 20 percent of the electorate, or 2.5 million people.

It can take place midway through a president's six-year term -- August, in Chavez's case. The next scheduled elections are in 2006.

The deal prohibits the Chavez-dominated Congress from amending electoral laws ahead of the vote. To deter political violence, it calls on authorities to disarm the population ahead of balloting and obliges the government to finance the vote. It also urges Congress to swiftly name an elections council.

The agreement provides for referendums on the terms of other elected officials. Chavez supporters plan to seek the ouster of several opposition legislators to increase the government's slim majority in Congress.

In a statement from the Atlanta-based Carter Center, former president Jimmy Carter said the period leading up to a possible vote will be the toughest yet.

"The implementation of the agreement will be the most important and most difficult phase in the process of lessening the crisis in Venezuela," Carter said in the statement.

Election authorities must be named, signature and voter rolls verified, ballots printed and a date chosen before any referendum can be held. Gaviria said Wednesday he expects the presidential referendum to take place in November if those requirements were met.

Several opposition political parties and business groups endorsed the agreement reluctantly, saying there was no guarantee the vote would take place.

Opponents argue Chavez can no longer govern a country bitterly divided between those who fear he is becoming increasingly authoritarian and those who consider him a champion of the poor.