Sahil Bhalla

Venezuela will be heading for a referendum on Monday. This is not the first referendum of this kind. Let me first tell you what this referendum is about.

REFERENDUM: If voters approve the measure, Venezuela’s constitution will be amended to remove all term limits for elected officials. That would allow President Hugo Chavez to run for re-election in 2012.

Now, Hugo Chavez tried this once before on December 2, 2007. That was a much larger referendum though. That was held to amend 69 articles of the 1999 constitution. This times referendum though is for one and only one purpose. To remove all term limits for elected officials. Essentially as some say, allowing Hugo Chavez to become a dictator. I totally disagree with this. If a President is doing well for his country and especially if the people want to keep him/her in power then why shouldn’t the President be able to run again and again?

Even if the President did run again and again it does mean that that he had to win every time. If the people don’t want him then they don’t have to vote for him. He should still get the chance to run again and again.

Also, this policy of allowing elected officials to run as many times as they would like may not work in some countries. Especially countries like India and The United States of America and Pakistan.

Is allowing elected officials to run for unlimited terms true democracy? Now, I do not know the answer to this question but I will try and find out the answer and get back to all of you. Also, I will be reporting tomorrow after the vote is over and when the results come in.

Here are some more facts about the Referendum:

VOTING: Venezuela has 16.5 million registered voters, who will use touch-screen voting machines at 34,632 polling places.

If you were a citizen of Venezuela or if your country was having the same Referendum then what would you vote? For it or against it? Discuss it in the comments…

Sahil Bhalla

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