CARACAS, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- Venezuelans on Sunday cast their votes in a referendum to decide whether presidential term limits should be scrapped so that President Hugo Chavez could run for another term.

    The referendum, which focused on the proposed amendment of the constitution, would decide whether the six-year presidential term should be lengthened to seven years and the term limits eliminated.

    Chavez used to say he would work as president for the country "until 2050" if the Venuzuelan people support him.

    Some other constitutional changes are to give the president the power, with the parliament's approval, to establish federal territories, municipalities, provinces and cities, to reduce the official work day from eight hours to six hours.

    Over 16.1 million registered voters were expected to go to 11,132 polling stations in the referendum.

    The voting would end at 4:00 p.m. local time (2000 GMT), while preliminary partial results would be announced three hours later.

    Some critics say Chavez would utilize the referendum, which has caused much controversy among Venezuelans, as a measure to pave the way for his ambition of sticking to the presidency for life.

    However, Chavez said on Friday that those opposing him were merely "traitors", and he criticized Washington for trying to sabotage the referendum.

    More than 150,000 trained personnel from the Armed Forces and the national reserve forces together with some 300,000 troops fro mother army units would join in the efforts to guarantee the security in the voting process.

    A total of 10,213 biometrics identification machines have been positioned together with indelible inking to prevent the possibility of double vote.

    Observers from about 40 countries will be able to travel throughout the country to monitor the electoral process.

    The 53-year-old Chavez, a former paratrooper, was elected as president in December, 1998, and succeeded in reelections in 2000 and 2006.