CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) - A chamber of Venezuela's Supreme Court dealt a blow Tuesday to opponents of President Hugo Chavez by overruling fellow justices on a petition for recalling him from office. The court's constitutional chamber struck down a ruling by the electoral chamber, which had ordered election officials to accept 870,000 signatures they had questioned. In a widely expected decision, Chief Justice Ivan Rincon said the petition did not fall under the electoral chamber's jurisdiction.
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The decision might not be final. Chavez opponents can appeal the ruling to all 20 of the court's magistrates, but it was not immediately clear they would do so. The high court is divided into several chambers responsible for different areas of law. Rincon defended the council's authority to reject signatures. "The National Electoral Council ... is an autonomous and independent branch of government," he said.
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