Tension Rises As Chavez Referendum is Scrapped

Opposition hopes for an early referendum on whether President Hugo Chavez should resign have been dashed by Venezuela's supreme court.

The court's decision will heighten tension in an already polarised political climate in advance of a general strike planned for Monday. Fears are mounting of an outbreak of violence in the streets of the capital, Caracas.

On Thursday, the country's electoral council pleased the opposition by agreeing that a non-binding referendum on President Chavez would be held on February 2.

But the court has now ruled that the council's vote of 3-1 with one abstention does not meet the legal requirements which stipulate that four of the five council members must approve a national referendum.

The electoral council decision followed the delivery at the beginning of November of a petition with an estimated 2m signatures calling for a referendum on President Chavez's rule.

More than a million of signatures have already been verified as genuine.

Under Venezuelan law, a referendum can be held halfway through a president's elected term - which would be August of next year.

President Chavez has said that he is happy for such a referendum to be held next year but he has opposed the plans for an earlier one. He said he is confident he would win a referendum.

President Chavez has been under increasing pressure to resign, from an opposition that controls most of the media.

There have been a series of clashes in Caracas between opposition groups and the Chavistas, who come from the poorest neighbourhoods of the capital. Each camp has set up its own base in different squares in the capital and the anti-Chavez camp now includes generals and admirals opposed to his rule.

Earlier this month, Mr Chavez brought the military into Caracas to take over policing, claiming that public safety was in jeopardy. This led to protests and marches.

In April, opposition forces led by members of the military staged a brief coup but Mr Chavez was returned to power within 48 hours. Since then the Organisation of American States has attempted to mediate between the two sides without success. Yesterday the OAS general secretary, Cesar Gaviria, said: "Everyone needs to cool down at the moment."

"Coups, strikes, marches, threats," said Mr Chavez last month. "All this harms everyone and generates a situation of instability, fears and a lack of confidence."