The opposition has announced that it will go ahead and submit to the electoral councils the signatures it has already collected endorsing the call for a mandate-revocation referendum - despite the fact that many in their own ranks have cast doubts on their validity. Former and possibly future presidential candidate Henrique Salas has said that it is `most probable' that the electoral council will reject the signatures, but has defended their submission as a gesture.
Background noise has continued to come from Washington, most recently in the form of urging President Hugo Chávez to do what the constitution says regarding the referendum. As sharpwitted analysts in Caracas have been quick to point out, the constitution does not say the President has to do anything about the referendum: it is up to the opposition to request it, meeting the requisite conditions, and for the electoral council to call it and supervise it. At most what the President must do, if the vote goes against him, is step down.
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