| Venezuela’s Supreme Court gave a major boost Monday to opponents of President Hugo Chavez, ruling that signatures on recall petitions need not be validated. The high court overturned a decision by the National Elections Council to force more than 1 million citizens to confirm they signed the petitions seeking a vote to recall Chavez. The court ordered the council to accept those signatures as valid unless citizens come forward to say they had not signed a petition. The ruling — while not guaranteeing a vote — was a big victory for Chavez’s opponents, who had claimed the council’s decision had made holding the referendum nearly impossible. |