VENEZUELA: Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez yesterday put the finishing touches to a constitutional amendment which would permit early elections and put an end to the general strike which has paralysed the economy and destabilised his government.
The amendment, which must be submitted to parliament for approval, will propose a February referendum asking citizens to vote for or against immediate presidential elections.
The opposition originally proposed a referendum for the same date but demanded that the wording simply reflect a yes/no vote on whether Mr Chavez should leave power.
"A retreat is not a surrender" commented Mr Francisco Arias Cardenas, an opposition deputy and former Chavez ally, "this could be an opportunity to rethink strategy and return to the electoral fray with fresh ideas," he added, in a public message to the president.
Hardline opposition elements rejected the revised referendum plan, insisting on "total resistance" until Mr Chavez was forced out.
Mr Chavez sacked five top oil executives yesterday and scored a small victory as several oil tankers sailed out of Venezuelan ports, even though they carried just a fraction of the nation's daily export target of three million barrels of crude.
The proposed referendum will take place in a climate of severe tension. If Mr Chavez stays on then so will the perpetual chaos guaranteed by business and union leaders who have fomented street violence and economic destabilisation. The opposition Democratic Co-ordinator, has made it clear that their only goal is the resignation of Mr Chavez, refusing to accept the notion that a free and fair vote could possibly return "the demonic tyrant" to office.
Mr Chavez will be entitled to present himself at elections arising from the planned referendum but the results of the first ballot will be a clear indication as to whether he can still command a majority vote.
The ongoing general strike continued to paralyse economic activities yesterday while Mr Chavez launched a "mega-market" in downtown Caracas, offering basic foodstuffs at the lowest available prices.
In a Tuesday meeting with Colombian President Alvaro Uribe, Mr Chavez compared the oil strike in his country with the sabotage of oil pipelines by left-wing ELN rebels in Colombia.
Colombian officials have long accused Mr Chavez of sympathising with ELN and FARC rebels but yesterday's comparison between Colombian rebels and Venezuelan opposition is a clear sign that the Venezuelan leader is anxious to rekindle international support.
The current crisis has also loosened a few screws it seems, particularly on the Internet where pro and anti-Chavez followers vent their wildest feelings.
One urgent e-mail yesterday warned of unnamed "foreign powers" set to bomb the square occupied by dissident military officers in Caracas, a sign that bad as things are there is always the prospect of something worse around the corner.