NewsMax.com Wires
Tuesday, April 13, 2004

The ruling Monday by the electoral chamber of the Supreme Court gives opposition leaders more than enough signatures to force the binding vote on Chavez's presidency.

But disagreements over which Supreme Court chamber has the authority to decide on matters concerning the recall vote makes it unlikely that the decision will be immediately implemented.

The infighting in the court has deepened uncertainty over the future of the world's fifth-biggest oil exporter.

Vice President Jose Vicente Rangel said only the constitutional chamber should rule on referendum matters.

``It's about interpreting the constitution, and only the constitutional chamber can interpret the constitution,'' Rangel told reporters.

The court's five-justice constitutional chamber ruled last month that the three-justice electoral chamber couldn't rule on issues regarding the referendum.

Dismissing that decision as illegal, the electoral chamber ordered the elections council Monday to accept the disputed signatures within five days.

The full 20-justice Supreme Court has been asked to settle the dispute between the chambers. Until it does, it is unlikely that the elections council will act on the electoral chamber's ruling. No date has been announced for the full court's decision.

Government officials accuse the electoral chamber of being loyal to the opposition. Foes of Chavez, whose six-year term ends in 2007, say the constitutional chamber openly favors the president.

Opposition leaders delivered more than 3 million signatures Dec. 19 to demand the recall vote, needing about 2.4 million.

But election authorities ruled last month that only 1.8 million were valid, triggering protests in several cities that left 10 people dead.

Chavez opponents accuse the president of becoming increasingly autocratic and pitting rich against poor with ``revolutionary'' rhetoric. Supporters say he is the first president in decades to show concern for Venezuela's impoverished majority.

Editor's note: