You know, sometimes destabilizing factors work such as in the case of Venezuela and the defeat of Chavez’s referendum to stay in power for ever.

“Venezuelans, by the slimmest of margins, rejected a constitutional referendum that would have granted Hugo Chavez the presidency indefinitely and tightened socialism’s grip on the oil-rich South American nation.

By a margin of 51 percent to 49 percent, voters shot down a referendum that included 69 proposed amendments to the 1999 constitution, according to Monday reports from the National Electoral Council. In all, 9 million of Venezuela’s 16 million eligible voters went to the polls.

“Don’t feel sad. Don’t feel burdened,” Chavez told supporters after the results were announced.

Thousands of people gathered in the streets, many of them university students who worked to defeat the measure, and burst into singing their country’s national anthem upon hearing the news. Watch what led to the referendum’s defeat »

One of the more controversial proposed amendments would have abolished term limits, allowing the firebrand Chavez to hold office indefinitely as long as he is re-elected.

The 53-year-old Venezuelan president was voted into power in 1998 and has twice been re-elected by large margins. The present law prohibits Chavez from seeking re-election when his term ends in 2012.

Another amendment on the ballot would have pushed the country more toward socialism. The leftist Chavez has said he should have full authority over the autonomous Central Bank as well as the nation’s economic policy. These measures, Chavez has said, are necessary to move the economy toward socialism.

Since winning a second six-year term in December, Chavez has promised to push forward with his particular brand of socialism and his “Bolivarian Revolution.”

Over the last few weeks and months underground opposition has peppered the landscape with leaflets and other anti-Chavez information in an attempt to bring about the defeat of this cooked up referendum. It worked. The question now is what will Chavez do about it?

On the eve of the vote he had a Jewish social club raided “for weapons and explosives”, perhaps sensing that they were participating in the destabilizing effort.

Even though he has conceded defeat it’s only a ruse. Look for further raids and clamp-downs to come. Chavez knows about the efforts to defeat him from within and there is no way he is going to go quietly in 2012.

While a victory for Venezuelans, it may be only the beginning of coming repression and destabilization.