Rammell endorses Venezuelan referendum
The Government has urged the Venezuelan people to accept the results of Sunday’s referendum which confirmed the position of President Chavez in office.
Mr Chavez’s election as president in 1998 polarised Venezuelan society. Though he has been praised by some for his education and health programmes for the poor, his many political opponents accuse him of mismanaging the economy.
In 2002 he survived a short lived coup and a two month oil workers’ strike that hit the economy hard. This week’s referendum was called after the opposition managed to collect signatures from 20 per cent of the population and trigger a referendum.
Not all the votes are yet in, but with around 95 per cent counted Mr Chavez received 58 per cent of the vote.
Opposition leaders have condemned the result as fraud on a giant scale, but international observers have said there was no evidence of deceit.
Speaking on Tuesday, Foreign Office Minister Bill Rammell said: “We congratulate the Venezuelan people on the peaceful conduct of the referendum, and express our gratitude and support to the OAS and Carter Centre international observers.
“We call for calm and, in the absence of evidence of fraud, urge all Venezuelans to accept the results and to strive for national reconciliation.”
“The international observers have stated that they have found no evidence of fraud and have received very few allegations of violence and intimidation. They have indicated their willingness to assist if any credible allegations of fraud come to light.
“As the EU made clear in its statement of 3 August, it believed this referendum was essential for restoring national reconciliation and democratic stability in Venezuela. The EU also called for all parties in Venezuela to work to ensure that the referendum could be conducted in a transparent manner and in line with international principles. Finally, the EU called on all Venezuelans to participate in the process and to respect the final result.”
Since the result small demonstrations have been held in the capital by Mr Chavez’s opponents, but there does not appear to be widespread civil disorder.
Venezuela is strategically important for the west due to its large oil supplies as it is the world’s fifth largest oil exporter.
