The New Nation - Internet Edition

Reuters, Caracas

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez threatened on Friday to halt the OPEC nation's oil sales to the United States, seeking to fire up his leftist supporters for a weekend referendum on expanding his powers. The former soldier faces a tight vote on Sunday over proposed constitutional reforms that would allow him to stay in office for decades if he keeps winning elections. Chavez has tried to rally his followers in the last days of the campaign with fiery rhetoric against opponents at home and abroad, and he warned at a huge rally on Friday that he would retaliate if the U.S. government interferes in the referendum. "There will not be a single drop of oil for the United States," Chavez bellowed to hundreds of thousands of cheering supporters in downtown Caracas. "And if they want to come and take our oil they will face 100 years of war in Venezuela." Most polls show a statistical tie for the "Yes" and "No" votes in Sunday's referendum.