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  Still to be heard from were monitors from the Organization of American States. But it appeared that amid a heavy voter turnout, Chavez, a champion of the poor in the oil-rich South American country, had beaten back a recall petition.

And the State Department stressed its support for a spirit of reconciliation with Venezuela. Casey called the vote part of a process of national reconciliation, although he said allegations of fraud lodged by opponents of Chavez should be investigated.

"The important thing about this process is that it helps achieve a peaceful, democratic, constitutional solution to Venezuela's ongoing political crisis," Casey said. "That's the starting point that we went into this with. That's where we are now," he said.

The State Department would not support any kind of violent reaction in response to the referendum, Casey said.

In the capital of Caracas, Carter, who helped monitor the recall referendum, endorsed the returns. "Our findings coincided with the partial returns announced today by the National Elections Council," he said.

The former president's announcement appeared to deflate opposition claims of widespread fraud in the voting. The National Elections Council earlier announced its tally with 94 percent of the vote counted, showing Chavez surviving by a wide margin the opposition's effort to unseat him.

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