(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - The vast majority of people in Venezuela think Hugo Chávez should change the course of his proposed reforms, according to a poll by Alfredo Keller y Asociados. 70 per cent of respondents think the government should not continue to convert the South American country to socialism.

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.

On Jun. 22, Chávez assured that his administration’s agricultural policies have helped people cope with a global surge in food prices, declaring, "The agrarian revolution in Venezuela has been a vital step in the process of socialist changes since 1999. (...) One element of that progress was the creation of a food bank, which never existed before in Venezuela."

Polling Data

Last December, a majority of Venezuelan voters rejected the proposed constitutional reform. In your view, should the government continue to convert the country to socialism?

Source: Alfredo Keller y Asociados
Methodology: Face-to-face interviews with 1,200 Venezuelan adults, conducted from May 23 to Jun. 4, 2008. Margin of error is 2.9 per cent.

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