Venezuelan Polls Predict Chavez Re-election

C A R A C A S, Venezuela, July 30, 2000 -- Private exit polls of Venezuela’s general elections today predicted a comfortable re-election victory for left-leaning President Hugo Chavez, local media reported.

According to the online edition of respected newspaper El Nacional, exit polls compiled by private companies gave the one-time army coup leader 54 percent of votes cast compared with 34 percent for his closest rival, former state governor Francisco Arias.

The Internet site of local radio station Union Radio updated its own exit poll, and gave Chavez 57.04 percent, compared to 39.31 percent for Arias.

The third presidential candidate, former Caracas mayor Claudio Fermin, was a distant third with 3.64 percent of the vote.

Although voting in the South American oil exporting nation of 24 million people was scheduled to close at 6 p.m. local time (2200 GMT), electoral officials said they would keep polls open as long as people were waiting to cast their ballots.

Arias, a former Chavez ally who split with the president earlier this year, told reporters his own exit polls gave him a winning margin of up to 10 percentage points.

Official results were not expected to be released before 8:30 p.m. local time (0030 GMT).