Dec. 18 (Bloomberg) -- Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez’s party members turned in 4.76 million signatures to the National Assembly to show support for the socialist leader’s proposal to run for another term.

Thousands of Venezuelan United Socialist Party members gathered in downtown Caracas today, forming a human chain to pass boxes full of signatures, according to images broadcast by state television. The National Assembly, dominated by the president’s allies, started debate on the proposal today.

“The Venezuelan people have responded as we expected,” said Jorge Rodriguez, the mayor of a municipality in Caracas and socialist party leader, according to an e-mailed statement from the government’s Information and Communications Ministry.

Chavez has asked the elections regulator to put the amendment to eliminate term limits to a national vote by the end of February. The political campaign may prompt the president to delay spending cuts after the price of oil, Venezuela’s top export, tumbled 75 percent since July.

Under the constitution Chavez is seeking to change, he would have to step down in 2013.

The Socialist party gathered signatures as a symbolic show of support for the amendment. Lawmakers are expected to formally propose the revision after a compulsory second debate on the proposal scheduled for next month. It requires voter approval for passage.

Opposition parties, which won mayoral seats last month in the country’s two biggest cities, Caracas and Maracaibo, and governorships in the three most populous states, plan to mount a unified campaign against modifying term limits, said Luis Ignacio Planas, president of the opposition Copei party.

“This is what he’s always wanted, to remain in power,” he said in a telephone interview. “He’s making it very clear what his intentions have always been, which is to impose a hegemonic system in Venezuela.”

Voters narrowly rejected Chavez’s proposal last year to eliminate his term limits as part of a package of 69 modifications to the constitution.

As the Socialist party members entered the National Assembly chamber today, lawmakers jumped to their feet to chant their campaign slogan, “Chavez isn’t going anywhere!”

To contact the reporter on this story: Matthew Walter in Caracas at mwalter4@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: December 18, 2008 18:04 EST