MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Chavez re-launches presidential indefinite re-election project

President Hugo Chavez is asking his party and supporters to propose a constitutional reform that would allow him to seek indefinite re-election while claiming his political adversaries are trying to bring down his elected government.

Venezuelan voters last December 2007 rejected a sweeping package of constitution changes that would have ended presidential term limits. President Chavez, who was first elected in 1998, is barred from running again when his term expires in 2013. The reforms proposed in the referendum had raised concern among opponents that Chavez intends to be president for life. Chavez on Sunday said he would stay in office until 2019 if voters abolished the term limits. The former paratroops commander says he needs more time in office to build a socialist economy in Venezuela "I'm authorizing the United Socialist party of Venezuela and the Venezuelan people to begin the debate on the constitutional amendment and the needed actions for the re-election of the president", said Chavez during his Sunday radio and television program. "Now we are going to make it: there's Chavez for a long time" said the Venezuelan president. He also warned that the opposition which took five of the 22 governorships (the most populated and important of the country including the capital Caracas) and 20% of the council votes is preparing "to bring down the Socialist revolution" and even create" autonomous provinces".