The New York Times reports that “President Hugo Chávez’s political movement, once considered largely above internal criticism here, is being consumed by recrimination and soul-searching after his proposal to transform Venezuela into a socialist state was rejected by voters over the weekend.”

Chavez himself already said that he’s “not finished” with his revolution and that he will “reintroduce proposed constitutional changes to augment his powers.”

It seems that there’s an internal debate going on: some Chavistas say that Chavez should ignore the referendum. Others argue that he made a mistake and that he should learn from it. One Chavista even went so far as to say that the “Chavismo” has to be more than just one man - which is considered blasphemy by quite some uberchavistas of course.

Dissent among Chavistas, as the president’s supporters here call themselves, and former Chavistas can now be heard on the floor of the National Assembly, after the release of voting tallies that showed that the proposals had lost in Petare, La Vega and Caricuao, sprawling slums in this city that were pro-Chávez bastions a year ago.

Losing such support in such emblematic strongholds has been a shocking revelation for Chavismo, a movement that has long been centered on the president himself and that is hard to define in ideological terms…

Chavismo, Mr. Dieterich argued, was suffering from a rubber-stamp National Assembly and cabinet, a callous new political class, a presidential staff comprising sycophants and an aversion to serious debate over pressing issues like inflation, which surged 4.4 percent in November.

If Mr. Chávez does not accept a greater role for others in decision-making, Mr. Dieterich warned, “He will destroy the process he has helped to construct.”

“It is not only certain the saying that revolutions devour their children, but also that revolutionary leaders, when they convert themselves into unilateral conductors, devour their revolutions,” Mr. Dieterich said.

In other words: dissent from within the ranks. How will Chavez respond? Will he back down or will he ‘deal’ with his opponents in a rather authoritarian manner?