Weekly Report - 6 April 2004

Movement on the proposed referendum on President Hugo Chávez 's tenure of office was confined last week to two meetings at the CNE, the electoral authority, where views were sounded out on the mechanics for the `repair' process — the opportunity granted to the opposition to ratify more than 800,000 suspect signatures on the petition. Another meeting, called by the electoral panel of the supreme court, failed to attract attendants other than the opposition — the CNE and the international observers stayed away.