December 1999 Venezuelan constitutional referendum
 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Results | ||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
 Results by state | ||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|---|
 Venezuela portal |
A constitutional referendum was held in Venezuela on 15 December 1999.[1] Voters were asked whether they approved of the new constitution drawn up by the Constitutional Assembly elected earlier in the year. The question was:
Do you endorse the new Constitution drafted by the National Constituent Assembly?
It was approved by 72% of voters, although turnout was only 44%.[2]
Controversy
Some in Venezuela believed that the new constitution centralized the national government greatly, granting it too much power while also making too many promises.[3] Henrique Capriles Radonski, then Vice President of the Congress and President of the Chamber of Deputies, stated "This is a centralist, presidentialist constitution with no spread of power to the states and cities ... This is a corrupt constitution that will leave Venezuela backward and poor".[3] Others scoffed at all of the red tape the constitution granted which would scare away foreign investment while also recognizing over-reliance on imported goods.[3]
Weeks before the election, tens of thousands protested against the constitutional changes on 24 November 1999, stating that it granted the president, Hugo Chávez, too much power.[3] Chávez responded to his opposition, stating "Those who side with the 'No' vote should get ready because the attack will be merciless ... I will put my boots on and unsheathe my sword".[3]
Results
| Choice | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| For | 3,301,475 | 71.78 | |
| Against | 1,298,105 | 28.22 | |
| Total | 4,599,580 | 100.00 | |
| Valid votes | 4,599,580 | 95.43 | |
| Invalid/blank votes | 220,206 | 4.57 | |
| Total votes | 4,819,786 | 100.00 | |
| Registered voters/turnout | 10,940,596 | 44.05 | |
| Source: Nohlen | |||
References
- ^ Dieter Nohlen (2005) Elections in the Americas: A data handbook, Volume II, p555 ISBN 978-0-19-928358-3
- ^ Nohlen, p567
- ^ a b c d e Murdock, Deroy (14 December 1999). "VIEW FROM THE U.S.: Power grab has some Venezuelans worried: A6". The Windsor Star.
| Presidential elections | |
|---|---|
| Parliamentary elections | |
| Regional elections | |
| Municipal elections | |
| Constituent Assemblies | |
| Referendums | |
  | This Venezuelan elections-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |