CARACAS, June 3 (Xinhuanet) -- The National Election Council (CNE)announced Thursday that Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez could be subjected to a recall referendum based on the preliminary results from the reconfirmation of the doubtful signatures.

    CNE's main judge Jorge Rodriguez said Chavez opponents had gathered more than 2.45 million signatures, 20 percent of the registered voters, to demand the referendum. The figure surpassed the required 2.43 million by the Constitution to trigger the recall vote on Chavez, who was re-elected to a six-year term in 2000.

    He said, "Even though the signature counts were preliminary, they represent a clear tendency in favor of the possibility of calling a referendum on the rule of the president."

    The final results will be announced soon, Rodriguez said.

    Thursday's announcement came after months of disputes over the recall petition, first submitted in December last year.

    During the three-day reconfirmation process, the opposition parties sought to reconfirm at least 525,000 of the more than 1.19million doubtful signatures collected last November, the number required to reach the minimal amount demanded by the Constitution.

    In a nationwide broadcast hours after the election council projected that the president would face a recall vote, Chavez saidhe will accept a probable recall referendum on his presidency.

    He said it was a triumph for Venezuelan democracy and it disproved opposition allegations that he was steering the country into dictatorship.

    Meanwhile, Information Minister Jessie Chacon recognized the signatures gathered by the opposition, and said the CNE's announcement "is an example that the democracy we want exists."

    He also called on supporters of President Chavez to keep calm after some violence hit central Caracas. Pro-Chavez protesters burned down vehicles and attacked the offices of Caracas Mayor Alfredo Pena and a television station.

    Chavez, a former paratrooper who won a 1998 election, carried out a series of reform policies in his country, hurting special interest of some classes. The US government has been dissatisfied with him because of his bold criticism about US President George W.Bush.

    Political situation has been in turbulence in Venezuela since 2001 when opponents staged a series of demonstrations and strikes.Chavez survived a coup in April 2002 that was followed by a two-month general strike.

    In May 2003, under the mediation of the Organization of American States and the Carter Center, the Venezuelan government and the opposition agreed to back the recall referendum, opening aroad to resolve domestic crisis with political means.

    The electoral body had announced when the reconfirmation process began on May 28 that the possible referendum date would beset on Aug. 8.

    Chavze will step down in the August referendum if the votes collected by the opposition exceed those of Chavez supporters and also surpass the 3.75 million in the 2000 elections. Enditem