[1] It was promoted by President Hugo Chávez, with voters asked two questions on convening a National Constituent Assembly and how that body should be elected.

[citation needed] Although Chávez had promised to seek the support of the opposition-dominated Congress before starting the process, on his first day as president he called for a referendum to determine whether a new constitution should be drafted using a method he had proposed.

[2] According to statements made at the time by the head of the Movement for Socialism parliamentary group, Chávez's main ally in Congress, apparently even they had not been informed of this step beforehand.

The opposition was caught divided:[4] Copei, Justice First and former presidential candidate Irene Sáez, who had just formed an alliance with the Chavistas in the Nueva Esparta state, supported the decree,[3][5] while Henrique Salas Römer's Project Venezuela and Democratic Action (AD) criticized the manner in which Chávez was leading the process, arguing that it excluded Congress.

"Do you convene a National Constituent Assembly with the purpose of transforming the State and creating a new legal system that allows the functioning of a Social and Participatory Democracy?"