Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez hailed Sunday's constitutional reform referendum, calling it "a victory for the nation" and democracy.
"This electoral day represents a victory for the nation and for the building of true democracy," he said at the Manuel Palacio Fajardo Technical School, where he cast his own ballot in favor of the reform.
Citing the enthusiasm with which Venezuelans went to the referendum, Chavez said that the population had shown its great interest in participatory democracy.
He said he was pleased to see how easy and fast the voting process was.
Describing the Venezuelan electoral process as one of the world's most modern and transparent, he said that the referendum was held under the scrutiny of observers from 50 nations.
No government had likewise consulted Venezuelans in the past five decades, he declared.
Some 16 million voters were registered for the referendum that ran from 6:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. local time (1000 to 2000 GMT).
The most controversial reform measure is the proposal to extend the presidential term from the current six years to seven, with indefinite reelection. Less controversial measures include reducing the official working day to eight hours to six, ending central bank autonomy, reorganizing regional politics and changing the name of the armed forces.
Of the 69 reform measures, 33 were proposed by President Chavez and 36 by the nation's legislature.
Source: Xinhua
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