Opposition blocks streets against Venezuelan president

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Tuesday, March 02, 2004

Opposition blocks streets against Venezuelan president

Opposition groups blocked Monday the streets and avenues of some Venezuelan cities to demand a recall referendum against President Hugo Chavez.

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Opposition groups blocked Monday the streets and avenues of some Venezuelan cities to demand a recall referendum against President Hugo Chavez.

Leader of the opposition Democratic Coordinator Enrique Mendoza was quoted by the press as saying that "we call on the country to maintain a peaceful resistance." He also urged for further mobilization of oppositions in defense of the signatures collected to organize the recall referendum.

In some areas of Caracas opponents set up barricades with trashbags and burned wheels. On Sunday thousands of Chavez' supporters demonstrated to show support to the president.

The National Electoral Council (CNE) is to hand down soon the number of validated pro-recall referendum signatures. The constitution stipulates that 2.4 million signatures or the 20 percent of the registered voters are required to demand the recall.

The opposition assured it delivered 3.4 million signatures, a million over the ones necessary, but the government said most of them were fraud.

The verification of the signatures by the CNE was observed by representatives of the Organization of American States (OAS) and the Carter Center (CC).

Chavez, accused by his opponents of wrecking Venezuela's economy, has already experienced since his election in 1998 two general strikes and a 48-hour coup in April 2002 and a strike at the start of last year. The recall referendum campaign is the latest challenge to him.

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