Venezuelans went to the polls Sunday to vote in a referendum on amendments to the constitution, which if approved would allow a socialist form of government and the unlimited re-election of the president. At present, the president can be re-elected only once, according to dpa. Government supporters roused Caracas residents at 4 am with trumpets and fireworks. Long queues had been forming at polling stations overnight to Sunday when they opened at 6 am (1000 GMT) and were scheduled to close 10 hours later. However, many polling stations could not open punctually and delays of more than two hours had occurred in some places, reports said. A total of 16.1 million people were eligible to vote. First results were expected around midnight GMT. Controversial President Hugo Chavez, a left-wing populist, had his hands full in recent weeks, with sometimes violent protests against the proposed reforms at home and with a busy foreign relations agenda complete with high profile spats with Colombia and Spain. An opinion poll said last week that support for the constitutional reform was dwindling and had fallen to just 30 per cent, with the "no" vote reaching 41 per cent. The prolonged scarcity of some consumer goods including milk, eggs, meat and bread and doubts the reform has cast on private property rights appeared to affect the prospects for Chavez's proposals. However, Chavez has won all previous elections since he assumed power in 1999 with at least 60 per cent of the vote and has a broad popular base in a divided country.
