Venezuela's President Hugo Chávez will not be able to win the referendum on a constitutional amendment for indefinite presidential reelection unless force or fraud is used, said the Washington Post.

The newspaper reacted with an editorial to the approval in first discussion by Venezuela's National Assembly of the proposed constitutional amendment to establish indefinite presidential reelection, EFE reported.

The second and final debate on the draft amendment will be conducted next January 5, and the matter will then be sent to the National Electoral Council (CNE), which will organize within a period of 30 days a referendum on the constitutional amendment. 

"Both history and the polls say he cannot win this referendum without force or fraud," warned the US newspaper in its Friday's editorial.  

The daily argues that the "future does not look bright" for Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, taking into account that last month, opposition candidates won control of the country's three most populous states and the two largest cities.