www.globeandmail.com By PAUL KNOX Monday, February 3, 2003 – Page A14

CARACAS -- Hundreds of thousands of President Hugo Chavez's foes turned out across Venezuela yesterday to sign recall petitions aimed at kicking him out of office and annulling laws passed during his four years in power.

But their leaders drastically scaled back a two-month-old strike in the world's No. 5 oil-exporting country, and the flamboyant President said the campaign against him had failed.

Mr. Chavez threatened legal action against oil-refinery workers and others guilty of what he called "sabotage" during the strike, which has sharpened a serious economic downturn in this country of 24 million.

"They've been defeated," he said on his weekly television program, referring to opposition leaders. "They have F for failure stamped on their foreheads."

But supporters of the petition said they still hope to force an early electoral test of the President's rule, which opponents say has brought Venezuela to the brink of economic ruin.

"The only way out of this is to have elections as soon as possible," said accountant Luis Benavides, 55, as he waited to sign the petitions in the middle-class Chacaito district.

Mr. Benavides said he voted for Mr. Chavez in 1998, but he feels betrayed.

"This is an autocratic, authoritarian government with communist tendencies."

Long lines formed in middle-class and affluent sections of Caracas, as residents, many wearing clothes depicting the yellow, blue and red Venezuelan flag, waited to sign the petitions.

Turnout was scant in the working-class Petare district.

"The rich don't like this government. The poor do," said Pedro Rojas, 29, an autobody painter who said he would not sign.

Mr. Chavez, a former paratrooper who led an abortive military coup d'état in 1992, but later won election as a civilian, said he has boosted school enrolment by more than a million and lowered infant mortality since taking office.

Banks, shopping centres and supermarkets are set to reopen this week in what opposition leaders bravely described as "giving flexibility" to the strike, which began on Dec. 2.

Workers at the state oil firm Petroleos de Venezuela remain on strike. But more than 5,000 of them, including 700 senior executives, have been fired for walking out. The work stoppage was aimed at forcing Mr. Chavez to agree to a non-binding referendum on whether he should continue in office.

He refused but has agreed to discuss the country's political future in talks involving foreign facilitators.

Under discussion are proposals for a binding recall referendum in August and a constitutional amendment to cut his term to four years from six. Either measure would lead to elections this year.

Petitions calling for such measures were among those being signed yesterday.

Another aimed to revoke 47 emergency decrees passed by Mr. Chavez.

Opposition leaders said they were confident of obtaining the 2.4 million signatures needed to force a presidential recall vote.

washingtontimes.com By Stephen Ixer ASSOCIATED PRESS

     CARACAS, Venezuela — President Hugo Chavez declared victory yesterday after his opponents agreed to ease a two-month national strike, but thousands of Venezuelans still lined up for a petition drive seeking his ouster.

     Strike organizers, who began the protest Dec. 2 to pressure Mr. Chavez into accepting a referendum on his rule, said Friday they would ease the work stoppage, which was already waning, to protect businesses from bankruptcy.

     However, the strike will continue in the vital oil industry, where production was cut from 3 million barrels a day to 150,000 at the height of the strike. Mr. Chavez said yesterday the government had boosted production to 1.8 million barrels a day, but striking workers put the number at 1 million.

     "Today is a victorious day," the president said in his weekly television and radio program. "We have beaten once and for all a new destabilizing attempt, a new malevolent and criminal attempt to sink Venezuela."

     But opposition leaders — who accuse Mr. Chavez of ruining the economy with leftist policies and trying to accumulate too much power — were far from conceding defeat.

     Thousands of Venezuelans waited hours in the tropical sun to sign petitions at tables nationwide in support of various measures renouncing Mr. Chavez's government and seeking his ouster.

     Four persons were injured, including two police officers, when pro-Chavez activists threw stones, fireworks and tear gas canisters near two petition tables in downtown Caracas, Police Chief Henry Vivas said. A car belonging to a private local television channel also was set alight.

     The opposition hopes one petition in particular — a constitutional amendment reducing Mr. Chavez's term from six to four years — will succeed, paving the way for general elections later this year.

     Under the constitution, organizers need signatures from 15 percent, or about 1.8 million, of the country's 12 million registered voters — a number they expect to surpass easily.

     "We're looking for the fastest way to get out of this crisis," said Freddy Hurtado, 56, an advertising agent who complained of poor business even before the strike began. "Given that the president is the cause of the crisis, we're going to get rid of him with our signatures."

     The amendment was one of two proposals made by Nobel Peace Prize winner and former President Jimmy Carter. The other calls for a recall referendum on Mr. Chavez's rule halfway through his six-year term, in August.

     Mr. Chavez has indicated he is open to both solutions, but said yesterday he never would give in to his opponents, whom he labeled "coup-plotters, fascists and terrorists." He vowed to hold strike leaders accountable in the courts and again threatened private media outlets, which he accuses of supporting opposition efforts.

     Oil makes up a third of Venezuela's economy and provides half of government income. Before the strike, Venezuela was the world's fifth-largest oil exporter and a major supplier to the United States.

     The strike has cost the nation at least $4 billion in lost oil revenues alone by government estimates. The Santander Central Hispano investment bank has warned that the economy could shrink by as much as 40 percent in the first quarter of this year.

asia.cnn.com Monday, February 3, 2003 Posted: 3:06 PM HKT (0706 GMT)

CARACAS, Venezuela (CNN) -- Venezuelan opposition leaders staged a massive petition drive Sunday, collecting thousands of signatures endorsing a number of demands including the immediate ouster of president Hugo Chavez.

Chavez's removal had been the linchpin of a 63-day general strike which has crippled the economy and sparked huge, sometimes violent demonstrations.

Thousands of oil workers said they'll continue the walkout until new elections are held, but opposition members said the general strike will be eased in other ways. (Opposition to ease strike)

Most businesses would open for restricted hours, while schools and banks would function normally.

"El Firmazo" -- "The Great Signup" -- listed several demands, including removal of Chavez and the National Assembly from office, a constitutional amendment to change the six-year presidential term to four and support for striking oil company (PDVSA) employees.

Under Venezuela's constitution, 15 percent of registered voters -- approximately 1.8 million people -- can call for any given amendment and then it becomes mandatory to hold a referendum.

The strike began December 2 and has forced Venezuela -- the world's fifth largest oil producer -- to buy gasoline from Brazil and Trinidad.

-- Journalist Adrian Criscaut contributed to this report.

www.channelnewsasia.com First created : 03 February 2003 1433 hrs (SST) 0633 hrs (GMT) Last modified : 03 February 2003 1433 hrs (SST) 0633 hrs (GMT)

Anti-Chavez campaigners celebrated in Venezuela on Sunday after collecting four million signatures on a petition demanding an amendment to the constitution to reduce the president's term from six years to four.

Campaigners sang, danced and waved flags in the highway in Caracas, a popular area for opposition campaigners to meet. Under the constitution, organisers need signatures from 15 percent, or about 1.8 million, of the country's 12 million registered voters.

The amendment was one of two proposals made by Nobel Peace Prize winner and former President Jimmy Carter.

The other is to hold a referendum on Chavez's rule halfway through his six-year term, in August.

President Hugo Chavez also celebrated on Sunday.

His weekly television show was extended to six hours long, celebrating the anniversary of his four years in office.

The president was shown with a celebration cake in the Venezuelan colours.

Meanwhile, the Venezuelan opposition officially declared an end to a 63-day general strike that has paralysed the country's economy and reduced its oil exports to a trickle.

Opposition leaders plan to allow schools, shops, grocery stores and industry to resume operation during the coming week, while stepping up street demonstrations aimed at pushing populist President Hugo Chavez out of office.

www.globeandmail.com POSTED AT 11:57 PM EST    Sunday, February 2 By PAUL KNOX From Monday's Globe and Mail

Caracas — Hundreds of thousands of President Hugo Chavez's foes turned out across Venezuela Sunday to sign recall petitions aimed at kicking him out of office and annulling laws passed during his four years in power.

But their leaders drastically scaled back a two-month-old strike in the world's No.5 oil-exporting country, and the flamboyant President said the campaign against him had failed.

Mr. Chavez threatened legal action against oil-refinery workers and others guilty of what he called "sabotage" during the strike, which has sharpened a serious economic downturn in this country of 24 million.

"They've been defeated," he said on his weekly television program, referring to opposition leaders. "They have F for failure stamped on their foreheads."

But supporters of the petition said they still hope to force an early electoral test of the President's rule, which opponents say has brought Venezuela to the brink of economic ruin.

"The only way out of this is to have elections as soon as possible," said accountant Luis Benavides, 55, as he waited to sign the petitions in the middle-class Chacaito district.

Mr. Benavides said he voted for Mr. Chavez in 1998, but he feels betrayed. "This is an autocratic, authoritarian government with communist tendencies."

Long lines formed in middle-class and affluent sections of Caracas, as residents, many wearing clothes depicting the yellow, blue and red Venezuelan flag, waited to sign the petitions.

Turnout was scant in the working-class Petare district.

"The rich don't like this government. The poor do," said Pedro Rojas, 29, an autobody painter who said he would not sign.

Mr. Chavez, a former paratrooper who led an abortive military coup d'état in 1992, but later won election as a civilian, said he has boosted school enrolment by more than a million and lowered infant mortality since taking office.

Banks, shopping centres and supermarkets are set to reopen this week in what opposition leaders bravely described as "giving flexibility" to the strike, which began on Dec. 2.

Workers at the state oil firm Petroleos de Venezuela remain on strike. But more than 5,000 of them, including 700 senior executives, have been fired for walking out.

The work stoppage was aimed at forcing Mr. Chavez to agree to a non-binding referendum on whether he should continue in office. He refused but has agreed to discuss the country's political future in talks involving foreign facilitators.

Under discussion are proposals for a binding recall referendum in August and a constitutional amendment to cut his term to four years from six. Either measure would lead to elections this year.

Petitions calling for such measures were among those being signed Sunday. Another aimed to revoke 47 emergency decrees passed by Mr. Chavez.

Opposition leaders said they were confident of obtaining the 2.4 million signatures needed to force a presidential recall vote.

Four people were injured when pro-Chavez protesters threw stones, fireworks and tear-gas canisters near two petition tables in downtown Caracas, police told The Associated Press. A car belonging to a private, local television station was set alight.