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GUEST: Eva Golinger, author of “The Chavez Code: Cracking U.S. Intervention in Venezuela,” and her newest book, “Bush Versus Chávez: Washington’s War on Venezuela”

Venezuela President Hugo Chavez suffered an electoral setback for the first time since he was elected president in 1998. Last Sunday, Venezuelan voters narrowly rejected proposed constitutional reforms by a vote of 51 to 49 percent. After the National Electoral Council announced the results of the referendum, President Chavez appeared on television to accept them. Pressing for calm, Chavez respected the outcome while noting that his vision for change was only derailed “por ahora” or “for now.” The thirty-three proposed reforms on the ballot included the shortening of the workday from eight to six hours, social security benefits for informal employees, and communal power councils. The most controversial revision was a proposed amendment that would extend the presidential term from six to seven years while allowing for indefinite re-elections. While Chavez remained vigilant, his political opponents in the United States were jubilant. A spokeswoman for the Bush Administration said that the referendum defeat boded well for “freedom” and “liberty,” and even suggested that the narrow margin was conditioned by the “opposition not being able to get out on TV and make its point.” There was a significantly lower voter turnout for Sunday’s elections than last year’s presidential elections with only fifty-six percent of eligible voters participating.