Venezuela’s Chavez wins referendum

CARACAS: Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez won a referendum on his mandate, with over 58 percent of the vote, electoral authorities announced on Monday, as the opposition rejected the partial vote count. With most ballots counted, 58.25 percent of the electorate voted for Chavez to remain in office and 41.74 percent voted for his mandate to be revoked, said Francisco Carrasquero, president of the National Electoral Council (CNE). Venezuela’s opposition rejected the referendum as a fraud results showing President Hugo Chavez had won a referendum on his rule, and said they would contest the outcome. “We firmly and categorically reject the result ... we’re going to collect the evidence to prove to Venezuela and the world the gigantic fraud which has been committed against the will of the people,” opposition leader Henry Ramos Allup told a news conference. afp

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