Chavez celebrates 10 years in office

VENEZUELA: Venezuela's firebrand leader Hugo Chavez tomarrow celebrates a decade as president with his future hopes pinned on a referendum that could potentially keep him in power for many more years.

"I swear before God, before the homeland and before the people, on this dying constitution, that I will boost the necessary reforms to draw up a suitable constitution for new times," Chavez said on February 2, 1999.

Ten years on, Latin America's leftist champion is seeking to amend the same constitution he helped create in 1999 to change five articles and remove term limits for elected posts.

If the text is approved in a February 15 referendum, the fiercely anti-liberal president, who has more than 57 percent approval ratings, could stand for re-election in 2012 when his second and until now last term expires.

"There have been errors and inefficiency in these 10 years but also positive changes for the country that should not be reversed," said Luis Fuenmayor Toro, rector of the Central University of Venezuela.

Caracas, Sunday, AFP