Politics
February 2

Opposition vows that government cannot curb people's will
During a joint press conference held on Monday, February 2 opposition parties complained about the government "attack and abuse" of power and use of Venezuelans' money to launch a campaign for the Yes vote.

They also claimed that the National Electoral Council (CNE) has kept quiet about the government action.

Tomás Guanipa, the secretary of Primero Justicia (PJ), said that the CNE has refrained itself from issuing any opinion when President Hugo Chávez speaks for hours on the media.

"We wonder about the CNE whereabouts when the president uses obligatory simultaneous broadcasts to air a sport show as part of the campaign for the Yes vote. Where is the CNE when the government copies a spot for the No vote and uses the same music? Still, the spot is on the air. Where is the CNE authority when even the Caracas subway is covered with messages for the Yes vote and plays music and spots for the Yes vote?

February 3

Chávez hints Constituent Assembly or amendment in the event of losing now
Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez said that a Constituent Assembly could be convened or a new amendment to the Constitution could be proposed one more time in the event of losing a looming referendum intended to remove any restriction to his reelection.

The head of state has promised in his frequent speeches and in a column authored by him and published in a local newspaper that he would step down in 2012, the end of his current term in office, if a proposed amendment to the Constitution is refused in a voting scheduled for February 15th, Reuters reported.

However, during an interview with TV news network CNN en Español on Monday, February 2 the president opened the door to other choices in order to insist on his attempt at changing the Constitution.

"In our Constitution there are different ways to make changes. There is a Constituent Assembly. Somebody could call it," said Chávez.

"And maybe an amendment (…) In the Constitution there is no limit as to the number of attempts at any amendment in a constitutional period," he added.

Venezuelan students to march against indefinite reelection
Opposition student leaders called a new march to be held on February 7 in Caracas against the unlimited reelection of elected officials proposed by President Hugo Chávez, in order to run for president for the third consecutive time in 2012.

"We have agreed that the rally to be held on Saturday can be defined as the march for the future and hope. We believe (...) that it will be one of the most exciting and large marches in recent years," said David Smolansky, a student leader of the Andrés Bello Catholic University (UCAB), a private university in Caracas, EFE reported.

The march will depart from Petare, eastern Caracas, go through three of the five Caracas municipalities and will end at the doors of the Andrés Bello High School, downtown Caracas. 

Students to file complaint on misuse of state funds to support government option
A group of students of the Universidad Central de Venezuela (UCV), a Caracas public university, rejected indefinite reelection and said that they plan to appear on Wednesday, February 4 at the National Electoral Council (CNE) to complain about the abusive use of power by government officials and about the use of state resources that have been spent in the campaign to support President Hugo Chávez's option in an impending referendum, said Luis Medina, a student representative of the Law Faculty.

Medina said that the government "is using all its powers, all the machinery of the state to implement an unscrupulous campaign, allocating public resources to carry out an electoral campaign to favor the government's option in favor of indefinite reelection of elected officials."

February 4

Venezuela's high court okays constitutional amendments every year
If President Hugo Chávez loses a referendum next February 15, he has no legal impediments to convene again a referendum to amend Article 230 of the Venezuelan Constitution in order to run again as candidate and be reelected indefinitely as president.

This is the major conclusion drawn by Justice Francisco Carrasquero -former chair of the National Electoral Council (CNE)- in his construction of Articles 340, 342 and 345 of the Constitution, a question that was raised by Fundación Verdad Venezuela, a Venezuelan NGO. Carrasquero's decision was upheld by most Justices of the Constitutional Court, Supreme Tribunal of Justice.  

According to the paper submitted by Carrasquero, the prohibition referred to in Article 345 of the Constitution only refers to the initiatives seeking a constitutional reform, rather than amendments. Based on Article 345, the content of failed reform cannot be voted again during the same presidential term. However, such prohibition does not apply for constitutional amendments. The petitioners had claimed that the subject matter of the amendment proposed by President Chávez was already rejected in a constitutional referendum held on December 2, 2007 intended to reform the Constitution and establish endless presidential reelection.
 
Pro-Chávez deputies claim in Europe that the opposition and the media "lie" about the amendment
Legislators of the Venezuelan National Assembly Manuel Villalba and Julio García Jarpa denounced on Wednesday, February 4 the "lies" of the Venezuelan opposition and media regarding a constitutional amendment that would allow indefinite reelection. The members of the National Assembly are visiting Europe in a campaign to defend the government proposal.  

In statements to Spanish news agency EFE, after a meeting with several members of the European Parliament in Strasbourg, Villalba said that the campaign against the amendment is based on a "false premise": the perpetuation of Hugo Chávez as president of Venezuela.

"In Venezuela, there are media that do not inform; media that lie shamelessly, and do not contribute to inform people. This is one of the main problems of the opposition -they are not capable to outline an alternative project," said the Venezuelan legislator, as reported by EFE.

CNE: Surveys on amendment may be posted through February 7th
The National Electoral Council (CNE) reported on Wednesday that until Saturday, February 7th, any polls may be disclosed on the draft amendment to the Constitution for endless reelection of elected public office to be held next February 15th.

"On Saturday before the election; reference is made to Saturday 7th; until that day, any surveys may be published," said Germán Yépez, one of the CNE five senior directors, Efe reported.

Yépez told state-run Radio Nacional de Venezuela (RNV) that next February 15th, upon the dissemination by the CNE of the first official bulletin on the referendum results, any exit polls may be issued.

February 5

Venezuelan bishops: "Proposing amendments endlessly may lead to more conflicts"
The fact that an amendment to the Constitution intended to establish unlimited reelection of Venezuela's president and all other elected public offices can be proposed endlessly may jeopardize social co-existence in the country, said the Venezuelan Bishops' Conference (CEV).
 
In a press conference to publish the CEV statement on the 150th anniversary of Venezuela's Federal War, the chair of the Bishops' Conference, Monsignor Ubaldo Santana, said that "the strained climate in our society" has become apparent following a move to raise again a question that was actually rejected by Venezuelans in a referendum held on December 2, 2007.  

The chair of the CEV stated that "lingering pursuit of power buildup" can lead to worsened social confrontation. Reference was made both to the ruling of the Supreme Tribunal of Justice (TSJ) establishing that any proposed amendment to the Constitution can be filed and voted endlessly and to President Hugo Chávez's statements that if he loses a referendum on this subject matter next February 15, he will attempt at raising the question again.

Lawmakers: Chávez is prepared to announce his defeat promptly
President Hugo Chávez will announce "promptly" the results of a referendum to be held next February 15 on the possibility to establish unlimited reelection of all elected offices, said on Thursday two pro-government legislators who are leading an international campaign to discuss the scope of the constitutional amendment proposed by the Venezuelan ruler.

Calixto Ortega, a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, National Assembly, said that President Chávez did so in 2007, when he lost a referendum on a reform to the Constitution intended to implement endless presidential reelection, among other things.

"We are democrats," said Ortega. When asked whether Chávez had delayed the publication of the results of the 2007 referendum and whether he had agreed to accept his defeat under pressure by the opposition and amidst street demonstrations rejecting the delay, Ortega replied: "That is a lie."

Student movement is the cornerstone against constitutional amendment
David Smolansky, a student leader at the Andrés Bello Catholic University, said that the student movement has become the leading voice rejecting the constitutional amendment proposed by President Hugo Chávez to establish indefinite reelection of all elected offices.

According to Smolansky, university students are fighting against the amendment because the issue jeopardizes the future of Venezuela's youth.  

"I believe that the student movement, and I do not mean to be arrogant, has become the main reference point in the fight against indefinite reelection. This has to do with the message we are spreading about the future. Venezuela is a young country, since 60 percent of its population is 30 years old or younger, and the constitutional amendment puts a cap on the future of the youth," said Smolansky. 

Súmate: Voters ought to take part in count to defend their ballot
María Corina Machado, a member of the board of directors of NGO Súmate, urged voters to cast their ballots on February 15th and take part in audit and count.

"I would like to make an appeal to voters. Together with poll officials and witnesses, voters play a fundamental role. We need you to go to your voting centers throughout the day in order to support poll officials and, at the end of the day, take part in the process of count and audit. In this way, we will succeed in defending our vote and enforce the law," said Machado during a press conference.

February 6

University students refuse to play along with government "show"
Student leaders Thursday, February 6 said that they will not play along with the "show" and the "smoke screen" staged by the government with the detention of Miguel Ponte, a student at the Metropolitan University (Unimet), a private university in Caracas, after raiding his house early Thursday morning.

According to Alejandro Mejías, one of the student leaders, these actions show "that we are doing fine. We are on the right track, because the government is trying to intimidate us with this type of actions. They are trying to criminalize us."

He reiterated that they will not take part in that "game" and they will continue campaigning against indefinite reelection and working to encourage people to cast their ballots and defend their right to vote.

Opposition students ready to march on February 7 in Caracas
Minister of the Interior and Justice Tareck El Aissami authorized a march convened by the opposition on February 7 to reject a proposed amendment to the Constitution to allow unlimited reelection of elected officials, particularly President Hugo Chávez.
El Aissami also said that the Ministry of the Interior did not authorize the participation of any municipal police corps to watch over the march. He said that the Metropolitan Police and the National Guard will have the responsibility to protect demonstrators.

"No police officer from the municipal police corps will be able to stay near the march," the Interior Minister said.

Pollster claims vote intent against reelection is five points ahead
Oscar Schemel, director of polling company Hinterlaces, said on Friday, February 6 that according to surveys made late in January, the "No" vote in an impending referendum on indefinite reelection is five points ahead of the "Yes" vote. 

Schemel added that between January 23 and January 31, the "Yes" vote stagnated, even though last December the polls found that rejection of the indefinite reelection was in decline (from 27 percent to 11 percent).

Schemel stressed that the number of Venezuelans who see themselves as "chavistas" (supporters of President Hugo Chávez) has declined to 28 percent. Meanwhile, voters who are not government supporters or dissenters increased to 51 percent.