Caracas, Nov 11 (IANS) Thousands of Venezuelans have come out on the streets to protest President Hugo Chavez’s planned changes to the country’s constitution that seek to give him a tenure in office for life and unlimited powers, Spanish news agency EFE reported Sunday.
Saturday’s was the largest rally staged by the opposition parties since the opening of the National Electoral Council on Nov 2. A countrywide referendum is scheduled to take place on Dec 2 on the government’s proposed overhaul of the constitution.
The protesters demanded the Supreme Court postpone the referendum for three months for people to assess the implications of the proposed amendments.
“We urge the Supreme Court to accept our appeal Wednesday and postpone the referendum,” Yon Goicoechea, a student representative told reporters.
Opposition parties such as New Times (UNT), Justice First (PJ), Copei, and Movement to Socialism (MAS) among others participated in the rally.
UNT leader and ex-presidential candidate Manuel Rosales said students have joined the protest because “they want to defend their future.”
Some 600 officials from various public-safety organizations kept a close watch on the demonstrators to prevent any untoward incident.
Besides dropping presidential term limits, the 69-amendent package of constitutional reforms seek to give the head of the state complete authority to suspend civil rights and press freedom during a state of emergency.
Chavez’s critics, and even some of his traditional supporters, feared that he is trying to become president-for-life to enjoy unrestrained powers.
Some 16 million people will vote to approve or reject the proposed changes to the 1999 constitution.
It will be the 14th time that Venezuelans have been called to the polls to express their opinion since Chavez took office in February 1999.