Venezuelans voted in a tightly contested referendum today on whether to let left-wing President Hugo Chavez stay in power for as long as he keeps winning elections or hand him his first defeat at the polls.
The anti-Washington firebrand, who has easily won one election after another against a fragmented opposition, is in the hardest campaign of his life as he moves to deepen his self-styled revolution by reforming the constitution.
He predicts he will win by 10 percentage points but most polls show a neck-and-neck race between backers of the referendum, which Mr Chavez says will usher in "21st century socialism," and those who call it an assault on democracy.
Voters were awakened by a predawn state-ordered bugle call mixed with sirens to prompt them to head to polling stations.
"I voted not because I disagree with everything that they want to impose on us," said Elias Martinez, 55, an actor.
"I do not agree with the (indefinite) reelection because we should live in a country with proper democracy."
With campaigning marred by violence, many Venezuelans fear political turbulence in the OPEC member nation if the losing side refuses to accept the results of today's vote, but early voting appeared to be orderly and under sunny skies.
"We will accept the results whatever they are," Mr Chavez told reporters, holding his newborn grandson, after voting.
"Venezuelans have never voted so often as during these nine years of peaceful and democratic revolution," Mr Chavez said.
Faced with concerns from some of his supporters that the reforms will give Mr Chavez too much power, he has tried to portray the vote as a plebiscite on his rule.
Mr Chavez, a former paratrooper who has led Venezuela since 1999 and is a close ally of Cuba and Iran, has also escalated his verbal attacks on the US government and opponents at home to rally followers.
On Friday he threatened to cut off oil exports to the United States if it meddles in the vote, and last week froze relations with Spain after King Juan Carlos told him to "shut up" at a recent summit.