MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Chavez pledges reconciliation and oil market stability.

The Organization of American States (OAS) and Carter Center officials endorsed this Monday the results of the Sunday recall referendum in Venezuela which confirmed President Hugo Chavez mandate until January 2007.

President Chavez in his victory speech called for reconciliation, demanded respect from the US government and promised stability in the world oil market.

OAS Secretary-General Cesar Gaviria and former U.S. President Jimmy Carter said in a press conference that their findings coincided with the partial results announced early Monday by the Venezuelan National Electoral Council (CNE) which the opposition protested and claimed are "fraudulent".

Coordinadora Democratica the umbrella organization of opposition groups stated that the results provided by the CNE for the presidential recall referendum were a "gigantic fraud". Henry Ramos, the group's spokesman said Coordinadora Democratica original estimates and final numbers indicate the opposition won with 59.4% of the vote and certainly not the "approximately 41% announced by the CNE".

According to the primary CNE results of 95% electoral precincts President Chavez defeated the recall referendum with 58.25% of the vote against the 41,74% from the opposition.

CNE president Francisco Carrasquero officially announced this Monday that based on the Sunday voting, President Chavez would finish his term in January 2007.

Mr. Gaviria during the press conference stressed that CNE numbers were "compatible" with their monitoring and former President Jimmy Carter went further and said CNE numbers "coincided" with Carter Center results. "Our findings coincided with the partial results announced; more than ten million people voted and there is a clear difference in favor of the government or President Chavez", said Mr. Carter.

"The vote casting and counting system is designed in such a manner which makes it virtually impossible to manipulate", underlined Mr. Gaviaria who requested the Coordinadora Democrática to "review" their monitoring system.

But opposition official Felipe Mujica complained that a majority of CNE "incumbent members" impeded Coordinadora Democratica representatives from being present during the ballot count.

Actually 3,576,517 votes (41.74%) were cast in favor of ousting President Chavez and 4,991,483 (58.25%) supported him.

When the victory if finally confirmed it will be the eighth time Mr. Chavez has won popular approval, including two presidential elections and six referendums.

In his victory speech Mr. Chavez appealed to the opposition's "reconciliation" and "democratic maturity". "I very respectfully invite all those hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans who do not exactly share our ideas to join us. We respect you and we only demand respect for the decision of the majority".
"Venezuela guarantees the stability of the world oil market", he emphasized and "beginning today let's hope the authorities of the most powerful country in the world respect the government and people of Venezuela".

However political observers believe it's unlikely that the referendum will put an end to the conflict since Venezuela is a country politically split in the middle.