Recall back on

last updated 8 January 2015

Caracas

Venezuela’s Supreme Court this week reversed itself and validated a petition demanding a presidential-recall vote. Opponents of President Hugo Chavez poured into the streets to celebrate, although demonstrators said they expected Chavez to use “trickery” to block the vote. The government immediately appealed. Chavez was elected to office, but rivals have accused him of trying to establish Cuban-style communism in his oil-rich country. An opposition coalition, including both business and labor groups, gathered 3 million signatures—600,000 more than they needed—requesting a recall. Nine people died in riots that broke out two weeks ago after an electoral council threw out huge blocks of signatures.