Chávez Referendum

From the New York Times:

CARACAS, Venezuela, Dec. 2 — From the unusually quiet streets of this capital to the hushed tones of state television announcers, Venezuela was on edge Sunday night as voters awaited the outcome of a contentious referendum that would give President Hugo Chávez sweeping new constitutional powers.

Hours after the polls closed, the government still had not released official results, causing political leaders to speculate that the vote was too close to call.

Corrected Version (run through Michigan Oracle Truth Filter):

CARACAS, Venezuela, Dec. 2 — From the unusually quiet streets of this capital to the hushed tones of state television announcers, Venezuela was on edge Sunday night as voters awaited the outcome of a contentious referendum that would give President Hugo Chávez sweeping new constitutional powers.

Hours after the polls closed, the government still had not released official results, causing political leaders to speculate that the vote is being rigged.


UPDATE: Well, I'll be darned. This referendum must have been really unpopular; you just know Chávez goosed the results but lost anyway. Reminds me of Violeta Chamorro's 1990 victory in Nicaragua over Daniel Ortega. ¡Viva Líbertad!