8/16: On August 15th, 2004, a referendum was held in Venezuela to decide if Hugo Chavez should remain President of that country. At 4:03 this morning, it was announced that 58.2% of the voters had said that Chavez will stay in power. Election monitors from the Organization of American States found no irregularities and former President Jimmy Carter proclaimed the election results were accurate. Opposition leaders rejected the results, claiming "gross manipulation," but could offer no details. Meanwhile, oil prices reached a record high on Monday amid concerns about production disruptions due to the referendum.

Hugo Chavez was first elected president in 1998. During his first term, the national constitution was substantially revised. Included was a provision that if 20% of the electorate requested a vote on the validity of a president's mandate, a recall referendum could be held halfway through the term.

In April 2002, Chavez was briefly removed from office when corporatists seized power with the backing of the armed forces. As people outside of Caracas confusedly tried to follow the events on international television, the coup and its backers took over nearly all electronic media within the country. Websites such as Trinicenter/Venezuelanalysis.com and NarcoNews helped to get the truth out to the world.

After failing to bring down Chavez through extra-parliamentary means, the opposition group, Coordinadora Democratica, opted for an attempt to oust him via an 'electoral solution' in an accord they signed with the government, the OAS, and the Carter Center.

Film: The Revolution Will not Be Televised (a.k.a. Chavez the Film) | Z-Net's Venezuela Watch | V-Headline | Declassified Documents about US interference in Venezuela | Venezuela 2 years after the coup | WTRG Economics | Puerto Rico Indymedia's Venezuela Coverage | Indymedia UK's Venezuela Coverage | Past Indybay Coverage of the Venezuelan Presidential Crisis