Madam Speaker, this weekend, the Venezuelan people will go to the polls to determine the future of freedom and democracy in their country.

This coming Sunday, Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez, in his continued quest for power, is demanding that the people of Venezuela get rid of presidential term limits.

Chavez has already once asked the Venezuelan people to make him president for life, and they rejected him and his Bolivarian Revolution.

Chavez has just celebrated 10 years in power. His legacy? Higher poverty. More crime. Rampant inflation. Growing anti-Semitism. Less freedom. Businesses nationalized. Terrorist supported. Alliances with Iran, Russia, and Cuba. And a loss of hope and opportunity for the Venezuelan people.

Madame Speaker, Venezuelans cannot afford to have Chavez leading them into the communist abyss.

Now is the time that we must stand with the Venezuelan people and against a tyrant like Chavez.

We must actively support the people of Venezuela in their quest for freedom, security, and prosperity.

Today I am introducing a resolution calling upon the members of the House to stand for a free, democratic, fair, and transparent election this weekend in Venezuela.

I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this important resolution and to stand with the Venezuelan people in their fight for freedom from the iron fist of Hugo Chavez.