An emboldened Hugo Chávez vowed to speed up "the construction of true socialism" in Venezuela after winning the right to stand for reelection indefinitely - a measure that opponents say puts the country on the path to dictatorship. The President told ecstatic supporters that his decisive victory in a referendum on removing term limits had smashed the barriers to a permanent socialist revolution in Venezuela, one of the world's largest oil producers. To chants of "Chávez will not go" from a crowd gathered outside Miraflores Palace in Caracas, the President vowed to stand in the next elections in 2013 and beyond. "Unless God decides otherwise, unless the people decide otherwise, this soldier is already a candidate," Mr Chávez declared.
An emboldened Hugo Chávez vowed to speed up "the construction of true socialism" in Venezuela after winning the right to stand for reelection indefinitely - a measure that opponents say puts the country on the path to dictatorship.
The President told ecstatic supporters that his decisive victory in a referendum on removing term limits had smashed the barriers to a permanent socialist revolution in Venezuela, one of the world's largest oil producers.
To chants of "Chávez will not go" from a crowd gathered outside Miraflores Palace in Caracas, the President vowed to stand in the next elections in 2013 and beyond. "Unless God decides otherwise, unless the people decide otherwise, this soldier is already a candidate," Mr Chávez declared.
CARACAS, Venezuela: When voters abolished term limits for President Hugo Chávez over the weekend, they handed him a long-sought victory, one that could easily embolden him to step up his socialist-inspired visions for his country. And yet, major obstacles to that revolutionary dream lie ahead, in the form of sagging prices for the country's oil and a sizable opposition whose strength is not eroding. Chávez, a consummate political survivor, even reflected this in his victory speech, focusing on more mundane tasks like improving government efficiency and combating violent crime, as if acknowledging the criticism leveled at him during the campaign and the limitations likely to be imposed on any grand plans for the time being. "This is a victory even for those who voted 'No,' " Chávez said Sunday night, in a nod to the country's opposition. "He was in effect saying that in the immediate future, the government will not push further radicalization," said Steve Ellner, a political scientist at Venezuela's Oriente University. "Lower oil prices undoubtedly influence Chávez's decision to follow a more cautious approach."
CARACAS, Venezuela: When voters abolished term limits for President Hugo Chávez over the weekend, they handed him a long-sought victory, one that could easily embolden him to step up his socialist-inspired visions for his country.
And yet, major obstacles to that revolutionary dream lie ahead, in the form of sagging prices for the country's oil and a sizable opposition whose strength is not eroding. Chávez, a consummate political survivor, even reflected this in his victory speech, focusing on more mundane tasks like improving government efficiency and combating violent crime, as if acknowledging the criticism leveled at him during the campaign and the limitations likely to be imposed on any grand plans for the time being.
"This is a victory even for those who voted 'No,' " Chávez said Sunday night, in a nod to the country's opposition.
"He was in effect saying that in the immediate future, the government will not push further radicalization," said Steve Ellner, a political scientist at Venezuela's Oriente University. "Lower oil prices undoubtedly influence Chávez's decision to follow a more cautious approach."
