Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has been handed a narrow loss in a controversial referendum on dozens of proposed changes to the constitution. Chavez had backed sixty-nine measures including eliminating presidential term limits, creating forms of communal property and cutting the workday from eight hours to six.

Turnout was lower than expected at fifty-five percent. It was Chavez’s first electoral loss since winning the presidency seven years ago. Tensions with the Bush administration increased in the lead-up to the vote. On Saturday, Chavez threatened to cut oil supplies to the U.S. over what he called ongoing political interference in Venezuelan affairs.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez: “What I said yesterday was the ratification of a firm decision that we have made. If the government of the United States tried, once again, to intervene or tried to destabalize the government, we would not send anymore oil to the United States.”