Venezuela Lawmakers Say Chavez Can Run Forever, Final Step Before Referendum

Published January 14, 2015

Venezuelan lawmakers on Wednesday approved amendments to the constitution that would allow President Hugo Chavez to run for re-election indefinitely, the final step before the proposal goes before voters in a referendum.

Allies of Chavez, who hold a strong majority within the 167-seat National Assembly, overwhelmingly voted in favor of lifting term limits for all elected officials. Six lawmakers voted against the proposal while five abstained.

Click here to see photos from a Chavez term limit rally.

Election officials have yet to set a date for the referendum.

Chavez, who was first elected in 1998, is barred under the constitution from seeking re-election in 2012.

It is socialist leader's second bid to amend the charter to run for office again. Last year, voters rejected a package of reforms that would have scrapped presidential term limits, among other proposed changes.

Luis Tascon of "New Revolutionary Road," a splinter pro-Chavez party, said he voted in favor of the proposed referendum because a suitable successor to Chavez has not emerged within the "Bolivarian Revolution," a political movement named after 19th-century independence hero Simon Bolivar.

"Given that reality, I'll stay with Chavez," Tascon said.

Juan Molina, one of the assembly's few opposition-sided lawmakers, called the proposal to lift term limits "undemocratic."

"Indefinite re-election is contrary to democratic principles," Molina said.

URL

https://www.foxnews.com/story/venezuela-lawmakers-say-chavez-can-run-forever-final-step-before-referendum