Chavez agreed to respect the June 3 verdict by the National Electoral Council that there were enough validated signatures on petitions for a referendum that could remove him from office.

Council Director Jorge Rodriguez said the opposition had collected 2,451,821 valid signatures, more than the 2,436,083 signatures that were required by law.

The constitutionally mandated recall was the agreed-upon alternative to growing violence, strikes and a coup two years ago aimed at ousting Chavez.

Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and Organization of American States Secretary-General Cesar Chavez brokered the deal.

The Japan Times Weekly: June 12, 2004
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