The opposition needs more than 2.4 million signatures to request the recall referendum. Each signature has to be verified with the fingerprint of the signer.

According to the National Elections Council (CEN), the earliest a presidential recall vote could be held would be March 2004.

The referendum effort is backed by the Organization of American States and the U.S. government, which supported an April 2002 coup attempt and a two-month employers’ lockout last December-January aimed at toppling Chávez. Both efforts by the Venezuelan capitalist class and its backers in the United States failed in the face of massive mobilizations by working people.

After these debacles, the opposition has focused on organizing a recall referendum. On September 12 the CEN rejected a petition by the Coordinadora Democrática opposition coalition for such a referendum on the grounds that the signatures had been collected prior to the midpoint in the president’s term, an election law violation. The CEN then issued new, stricter rules for such referenda.

Chávez has expressed confidence that the opposition will fail in its recall efforts, promoting illusions in bourgeois democracy in a situation where the capitalist class continues to have a firm grip on the economy.

“Venezuelans are free,” stated Chávez October 18, according to Associated Press. “He who wants to sign may do so—we are not going to coerce them or pressure them.”

The Venezuelan president also stated, “They should know that although they are not going to get [a referendum], their names will be recorded. Unlike in a vote, which is secret, they will sign. They will put their first and last names, their national ID number, and their fingerprint.”
 
 
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