Two killed in Venezuela as recall petition rejected

TWO people were killed in violent unrest in Venezuela after electoral officials said there were insufficient signatures to hold a referendum on recalling President Hugo Chavez, authorities said, as the sharply divided country awaited the opposition's next move.

Two youths, aged 21 and 22, were killed in clashes between opposition activists and National Guard troops in the Plaza Altamira, a hotbed of anti-Chavez protests, said Col Rodolfo Briceno, Caracas' fire chief.

He added that two additional deaths were under investigation in Caracas to determine if they were related to the unrest. And former presidential candidate Enrique Salas Romer reported that an opposition leader died during unrest in the western state of Carabobo.

Opposition activists were out in force to "defend" the validity of signatures collected in favour of a Chavez recall referendum.

One protester was shot dead late Tuesday as rioters blocked roads and burned tyres after election officials announced only 1.8 million of the 3.1m signatures collected were valid. To demand the recall, 2.4m valid signatures are needed.

Angry Venezuelans turned out to bang empty pots, blockade roads and set bags of garbage on fire in opposition-held districts. Television showed fierce protests in the commercial district of El Rosal. In Chacao, an anti-Chavez neighbourhood, bonfires were lit to the sound of pots clanging and gunshots.

Henry Ramos, leader of the social democratic Democratic Action party, said yesterday the opposition needed to move swiftly to make clear whether it will issue a flat rejection of the electoral council's decision; or simply accept that it has lost the widely anticipated recall referendum.

"If we say we are not going to take part in the verification process at all, that means there will be no recall vote and we have to see what kind of de facto or legal steps we can move forward on," Ramos said.

The electoral council announced Tuesday after days of delay that out of a total of 3,086,013 signatures the opposition presented seeking the recall vote, 1,832,493 were deemed valid and 1,109,590 were under review. Another 143,930 signatures were thrown out for various reasons including signatures by minors.