(07/08/09) -

Two-in-Five Venezuelans Would Back Ch¡vez

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – Many people in Venezuela would consider granting incumbent Hugo Chávez another term in office, according to a poll by the Venezuelan Institute for Data Analysis (IVAD). 43.6 per cent of respondents would vote for the current president in the 2010 ballot, while 40.1 per cent would not.

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – Many people in Venezuela would consider granting incumbent Hugo Chávez another term in office, according to a poll by the Venezuelan Institute for Data Analysis (IVAD). 43.6 per cent of respondents would vote for the current president in the 2010 ballot, while 40.1 per cent would not.

When asked about the eventual end of Chávez’s tenure, 28.4 per cent of respondents think it should come in 2010 after a recall referendum, 36.3 per cent say his term should end in 2012 as established in the constitution, and 31.4 per cent would keep Chávez in office until at least 2021.

Chávez—a left-leaning leader—has been in office since February 1999. In July 2000, he was elected to a six-year term with 59.5 per cent of all cast ballots. In August 2004, Chávez won a referendum on his tenure with 59 per cent of the vote. The special election was called after opposition organizations in Venezuela gathered 2.5 million signatures to force a recall ballot. In December 2006, Chávez earned a new six-year term with 62.89 per cent of the vote.

In December 2007, a package of constitutional amendments tabled by the president and endorsed by the National Assembly—where pro-Chávez lawmakers control more than two-thirds of the seats—was narrowly defeated in a nationwide referendum. The proposed changes included the introduction of a clause that would allow the unlimited re-election of the head of state, new land ownership rules, and ending the autonomy of the Central Bank.

In the November 2008 municipal elections, pro-Chávez parties emerged victorious in 17 of the country’s 22 regions. Chávez later proclaimed himself a "presidential pre-candidate" for the 2012 ballot and submitted a bill to the legislature that seeks to allow him to run again by changing the constitution and ending term limits for heads of state. The measure would also allow mayors, governors, state legislators and national legislators to be re-elected more than once.

A new referendum was called for Feb. 15. This time, the constitutional reforms were approved by 54 per cent of the electorate.

On Jul. 6, Caracas mayor Antonio Ledezma said that himself and some of his aides have gone on a hunger strike over what he calls months of harassment by Chávez, declaring, "It is unforgivable that they sabotage and block all the programs and projects that we have tried to promote in my administration as the metropolitan mayor of Caracas."

Polling Data

Would you vote for Hugo Chávez in the next presidential election?

When should Hugo Chávez’s tenure come to an end?

Source: Venezuelan Institute for Data Analysis (IVAD)
Methodology: Interviews with 1,200 Venezuelan adults, conducted from Jun. 17 to Jun. 23, 2009. Margin of error is 2.4 per cent.