Caracas - Polls closed without major incidents in Sunday's constitutional referendum in Venezuela, in which nearly 17 million citizens voted on whether to allow the unlimited re-election of the country's president.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said the election was decisive for his own political future.

"I come here before the Venezuelan people, very conscious that here today, at the polling stations, among many other things that are a lot more important, my political fate is being decided upon, and that for me, as a human being, as a soldier in this fight, is very important," he said after casting his vote in western Caracas.

Tibisay Lucena, president of the country's National Electoral Council (CNE), said shortly after 6 pm (2230 GMT) that voting had ended except in a few polling stations "where there were still voters in line."

"We greatly congratulate the Venezuelan people because they have given us a great lesson on civic spirit and democracy," Lucena said in a message to the nation.

She stressed the rule that no projections of results could be made public before the CNE issued its first official report.

"You cannot go around calling triumphs or defeats. I ask for calm and patience," Lucena noted. "Stay calm because there are no results so far."

Earlier, Chavez noted that the will of the people would triumph in the referendum, and he asked that all sectors of society respect "the sovereign will of the people."

If the proposed constitutional amendment is approved, Chavez would be able to stand for re-election in December 2012. If the reform does not pass, he is set to govern until February 2013 and will not be able to seek election for another term.

"Let nobody start making up misconceptions to take us down the road of violence and fear. We have said that and we have proved that: we will recognize the result whatever it is," Chavez stressed.

Close to 17 million Venezuelans were registered to vote Sunday, and people started voting early. The process was simple enough to prevent the formation of long queues at polling stations. (dpa)