Petition to Recall Chavez Hits a Snag

A top election official said Thursday that authorities have found signs of possible fraud in a petition for a recall referendum against Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and that they might need several more weeks to decide its validity.

Jorge Rodriguez, director of the National Elections Council, said the panel had set aside an unspecified number of signatures to be reviewed again and would not be ready to announce a decision before today’s deadline. He said the council was “doing everything possible” to rule by the end of the month.

Opponents accuse the council of deliberately delaying the verification process. It has been almost two months since they submitted what they said were 3.4 million signatures to demand the recall -- far more than the 2.4 million needed for the vote.

Two protests in separate cities turned violent Thursday, underscoring mounting tensions between allies and opponents of the leftist, populist president.

Eight police officers were hurt in a clash with university students protesting in Merida, about 300 miles west of Caracas, the capital, Police Chief Jose Ibarra said. He said the students shot at police and threw rocks. In Valencia, 70 miles west of Caracas, Chavez supporters fought with opposition marchers.

Vice President Jose Vicente Rangel accused “desperate” Chavez opponents of provoking chaos because they “definitely” didn’t get the needed signatures.