Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez told his opponents on Sunday they should not fear his left-wing "revolution" after his referendum win and he pledged to respect private wealth and fight corruption. In a television broadcast one week after he easily won a recall poll, the populist leader sought to dispel fears among rich and middle-class Venezuelans that he planned to launch a fresh ideological offensive aga\inst their status and property. "What we want is national unity ... this revolution should not frighten anybody," Chavez said during his weekly "Hello President" television and radio show. Opposition leaders who accuse Chavez of persecuting critics and attacking private business say he won the Aug. 15 vote through fraud by rigging voting machines. But international observers found no evidence of cheating. Venezuela has remained calm through the referendum, but some opposition leaders have called for protests. This has raised concerns of renewed conflict in the world's No. 5 oil exporter, which has been bitterly divided over Chavez's rule. Former paratrooper Chavez, who was first elected in 1998 and will now serve until 2006 elections, ridiculed those who refused to accept his referendum win as "a bunch of madmen." --MORE 2326 Local Time 2026 GMT
