CARACAS, July 22 (Xinhuanet) -- Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez predicted Thursday that his opponents would fail in the recall referendum on whether he should step down.

    Speaking at the inauguration of a housing project in Anzoateguistate, 250 kilometers east of Caracas, Chavez said the Venezuelan people will "say no" in the referendum scheduled for Aug. 15, and urged his opponents not to "go crazy."

    He has accused the United States of organizing and financing the opposition, saying the upcoming referendum as a battle between him and US President George W. Bush.

    On the same day, Valter Pecly Moreira, chief of Organization of American States (OAS) observer missions, said observers will freely monitor the referendum.

    "The National Election Council has given me all the guarantees that the OAS election observation for the referendum will be secure," he said after meeting with the council.

    The role of observers has been a subject of discussion. Opposition leaders say the observers are the only guarantee of an open vote in Venezuela. However, some pro-Chavez officials have said the observer missions are biased against the president and called for tighter restrictions on their work during the referendum.

    Chavez, who was elected in 1998 and re-elected to a six-year term in 2000, has been accused by his opponents of wrecking Venezuela's economy. He experienced two general strikes, a 48-hourmilitary coup in April 2002 and a strike at the beginning of last year.

    The referendum campaign is the latest challenge to the former army officer's five-year rule. Enditem