国产热热热精品,亚洲视频久久】日韩,三级婷婷在线久久,99人妻精品视频,精品九热人人肉肉在线,AV东京热一区二区,91po在线视频观看,久久激情宗合,青青草黄色手机视频

   

Chavez seeks sweeping changes in vote

(Agencies)
Updated: 2007-12-02 20:32

CARACAS, Venezuela - President Hugo Chavez would consolidate power and no longer face term limits if Venezuelans approve sweeping constitutional changes Sunday in a contentious vote that has riven South America's top oil exporter.

An emboldened opposition and recent violent clashes involving protesters have raised fears that anger could spill into the streets if the vote is close, as some pollsters predict.

Chavez has warned opponents he will not tolerate attempts to stir up violence, and threatened to cut off oil exports to the U.S. if Washington interferes. His country is a major supplier to the United States, which in turn is the No. 1 buyer of Venezuelan oil.

"In the case of an aggression by the United States government, we wouldn't send any more oil to that country," Chavez told reporters Saturday. "Forget about our oil."

Chavez, who has become Latin America's most outspoken antagonist of Washington since he was first elected in 1998, calls the constitutional overhaul vital. He labels those who resist it pawns of President Bush.

"Anyone who votes 'No' is voting for George W. Bush," Chavez shouted to a sea of supporters Friday. "We're going to give another knockout to Bush."

While the Venezuelan government touts polls showing Chavez ahead, other surveys cited by the opposition indicate strong resistance — which would be a change for a leader who easily won re-election last year with 63 percent of the vote.

Pollster Luis Vicente Leon said tracking polls by his firm Datanalisis in the past week show the vote is too close to predict. Which side wins will depend largely on turnout among Chavez's supporters and opponents, he said.

"If he wins by a very small margin, that's a scenario filled with conflict," Leon said. "In a country where there are high levels of mistrust between the camps, it's obvious the opposition ... would think it was fraud."

In Washington, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said the United States hopes the referendum will be "a free and fair contest."

Speaking to reporters Saturday, Chavez accused the U.S. government of plotting to discredit what he says will be a legitimate victory for him at the polls.

"They are preparing to disavow the results, so we hope the popular will is respected, whatever it is," Chavez said. "The government of the United States is a threat."

Chavez thanked his ally Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega for recently "alerting the world to the plan Bush's government has to kill the president of Venezuela." He didn't offer specifics but warned that any assassination attempt would lead to "events that aren't very good for the United States or for the world."



Related Stories  
Top World News  
Today's Top News  
Most Commented/Read Stories in 48 Hours
肥城市| 界首市| 和龙市| 龙海市| 平泉县| 伽师县| 中牟县| 新巴尔虎右旗| 百色市| 长垣县| 漾濞| 郴州市| 偏关县| 四川省| 呼伦贝尔市| 阆中市| 明水县| 剑河县| 四平市| 阳东县| 哈密市| 肇东市| 神农架林区| 彰化市| 连城县| 绵阳市| 特克斯县| 松江区| 崇仁县| 揭西县| 汉阴县| 邢台市| 齐齐哈尔市| 鹤山市| 黄平县| 堆龙德庆县| 昌黎县| 康平县| 长兴县| 闽侯县| 蒙城县|