VENEZUELA: Venezuelan opposition activists are demanding a recall referendum to force President Hugo Chavez out of office. They handed over 3.4 million signatures to the electoral authorities this weekend supporting this demand.
The signatures were collected at the end of November but the petition organisers initially refused to hand them over to the National Electoral Council, claiming pro-government bias. President Chavez accused the opposition of perpetrating a "gigantic fraud" and called for a signature-by-signature verification process. The electoral council first rejected the notion of authenticating each signature. However, government claims that Colombians crossed over the border and signed the petition has fuelled demands for a detailed inspection. The government has also collected hundreds of testimonies alleging that employers forced workers to sign or face dismissal.
The opposition rejected such claims and threatened to resume civil disobedience should the electoral authorities fail to verify the required quantity of signatures.
Venezuela's electoral body was approved by government and opposition leaders after an exhaustive selection process involving congress and the Supreme Court.
The opposition requires 2.4 million signatures, or 20 per cent of the electorate, if the referendum is to go ahead. The electoral authorities will begin counting and checking each petition sheet on January 5th, with 30 days required to deliver a verdict.