Hugo Chávez, President For Life
Venezuela has passed a constitutional reform that will allow Chávez to legally stay on as a president for the rest of his life.
Assembly President Cilia Flores said Chavez’s proposed changes to the constitution, including the lifting of presidential term limits, were approved by all 167 lawmakers after about six hours of debate.
[...]
Government opponents have attacked the reforms, saying they will weaken democracy by permitting Chavez to become a lifelong leader like his ally Fidel Castro of Cuba.
Chavez, a former paratroop commander who was re-elected by a wide margin in December on promises to steer the country toward socialism, says the changes will give Venezuelans greater decision-making power and aid the transfer of billions of dollars from Venezuela’s foreign reserves into social programs.
Ismael Garcia, one of the assembly’s few dissenting voices, criticized pro-Chavez lawmakers for excluding opposition groups from the discussion, arguing that Venezuelans of all political leanings must be included in the debate before the proposed reforms are put to a national vote.
More on Yahoo news.