Venezuelan president Chavez wins recall referendum

CARACAS, Venezuela -- Venezuelans overwhelmingly voted to keep President Hugo Chavez in office, dealing a crushing defeat to a splintered opposition and allowing the leftist leader to convert one of the biggest challenges of his presidency into an even broader mandate to carry on his "revolution for the poor."

Stunned opposition leaders, who have fought for years to oust Chavez, claimed fraud after results announced Monday by election officials showed nearly 60 percent of voters had said "no" to the question of whether he should leave office immediately.

Scattered protests erupted in Caracas, despite an endorsement of the outcome by former President Carter and the Organization of American States.

"Now it's the responsibility of all Venezuelans to accept the results and work together for the future," Carter said.

Chavez's victory came in a contest that saw one of the biggest turnouts in Venezuela's history.

"How is it possible that at this stage, some opposition leaders don't have the grace ... to accept that they did not succeed in recalling me?" Chavez said in a news conference Monday. He called the result "an alternative to capitalism and false democracy."

The results underscored the resilience of a leftist firebrand who has bluntly challenged "imperialist" U.S. foreign policies and cozied up to Cuban President Fidel Castro.

"Hopefully, from this day on Washington will respect the government and the people of Venezuela," Chavez proclaimed, speaking from a balcony at the presidential palace to thousands of supporters celebrating under a light rain.

Polling stations stayed open past midnight as millions of voters waited up to 12 hours in lines that snaked for several street blocks. Carter said it was the biggest turnout of any election he has monitored, estimating almost 10 million citizens voted in the oil-rich South American country of 24 million.

In the worst outbreak of violence, seven people were wounded after a group of apparently pro-Chavez motorcyclists fired into a small opposition protest in a Caracas plaza, said Caracas Fire Chief Rodolfo Briceno. Opposition lawmaker Ernesto Alvarenga was among those hurt.

Officials initially reported a 62-year-old woman was killed, but the woman's family later said she was alive with serious wounds.

Chavez condemned the violence, but said he wouldn't be surprised if the shooters, who waved posters urging the "no" vote, were sent by opposition leaders to provoke chaos.

About 200 people kept protesting after the shooting, hurling stones at passing vehicles displaying "no" signs.

Chavez, who is seen as a hero by Venezuela's majority poor but as authoritarian by his critics, particularly among the wealthy, vowed to continue his "revolution for the poor."

"Venezuela has changed forever," the 50-year-old former paratrooper declared. "There is no turning back."

Despite an economic recession and 15 percent unemployment, Chavez won widespread support among the poor by spending millions of dollars to teach adults to read, send Cuban doctors to slums and give loans to farmers and small businesses.

U.S. State Department spokesman Tom Casey called the referendum part of a process of national reconciliation but said allegations of fraud should be investigated.

"The important thing about this process is that it helps achieve a peaceful, democratic, constitutional solution to Venezuela's ongoing political crisis," Casey said in Washington. "That's the starting point that we went into this with. That's where we are now."

News of Chavez's victory settled some fears that the country would plunge into chaos and affect oil exports, driving down crude oil prices Monday from record highs.

Venezuela, with the largest oil reserves outside the Middle East, is the world's fifth-largest oil exporter and provides almost 15 percent of U.S. oil imports.

Chavez on Monday promised "stability in the oil market." State oil company Petroleos de Venezuela S.A., or PDVSA, reported no supply disruptions and said exports were "completely normal."

Francisco Carrasquero, president of the National Elections Council, said that with 94 percent of the votes counted, 58 percent had said "no" to the question of whether Chavez should leave office and 42 percent voted "yes."

Opposition activists, who never came up with a clear plan for running Venezuela or even a candidate to succeed Chavez, glumly watched the victory celebration on television at their headquarters. Some burst into tears and angrily called for street protests.

The opposition Democratic Coordinator coalition, which said its exit polls showed 60 percent in favor of ousting Chavez and 40 percent against it, had demanded a manual recount.

Two opposition-aligned directors of the National Elections Council complained they were not allowed to monitor the tallying of preliminary results, as the three pro-government directors did.

But Carter, a Nobel Peace laureate, said the official results "coincided" with his own team's findings.

OAS Secretary-General Cesar Gaviria, speaking at a joint news conference with Carter, also said observers "have not found any element of fraud in the process." He said the OAS was willing to listen to opposition concerns "but not to put the results in doubt."

The first-ever recall vote for a president in Venezuela's history was aimed at putting a lid on years of violence and political unrest, including a two-month general strike last year that crippled the economy and paralyzed oil exports.

Nineteen people were killed in an anti-Chavez protest before he was ousted in a two-day April 2002 coup. Dozens more people were killed and hundreds wounded before Chavez was returned to power amid a popular uprising. Political riots last March claimed a dozen more lives.

Chavez, who was re-elected to a six-year term in 2000, has now gained momentum ahead of September regional elections and 2005 congressional elections. His allies already control the National Assembly and most state governments.