Venezuela vote may keep Chavez in power

VENEZUELANS voted yesterday on a reform proposal that would allow President Hugo Chavez to stay in power for as long as he keeps winning elections, his second bid to extend his rule after a decade in power.

Chavez, a socialist who says he needs at least another 10 years to complete his revolution, holds a slim edge in polls, but many Venezuelans remain undecided.

A former soldier who often challenges US influence, Chavez lost a vote in December to lift term limits and if he loses his second try he would have to leave office in 2013 or find another way to change the rules.