Exit Polls Give Chavez Victory

Chavez supporters waved flags in the streets today as exit polls showed him winning a referendum by six to eight points, Reuters reports. Anti-Chavez forces rejected the numbers, leaked by government-connected sources. "According to our information, it is a statistical tie," said the popular mayor of Caracas. He called the difference "two points up, two points down."

The polls put the pro-Chavez vote at 53-54% and opposition at 46-47%. Pre-vote surveys called the ballot a dead heat, but students and political parties who oppose Chavez have lost most votes against him and botched a coup five years ago. Analysts predict the opposition may contest today's results and spark violence in the streets. "(The vote) will deepen divisions and polarization," one student said. (More Hugo Chavez stories.)