Chávez Allies Win Majority, but Foes Make Gains
By Simon Romero
From The New York Times
CARACAS, Venezuela — Supporters of President Hugo Chávez won a majority in legislative elections held on Sunday, but the opposition secured at least one-third of the seats, giving it the ability to block critical legislation and top federal appointments, the National Electoral Council said here early Monday.
The results, which also revealed a popular vote across the country that was about evenly split, may open a new phase of negotiation and debate within Venezuela’s political system. The National Assembly had been tightly controlled by Mr. Chávez’s allies since 2005, when the opposition tactically erred by boycotting legislative elections that year.
Mr. Chávez’s United Socialist Party won at least 90 of the legislature’s 165 seats, while a coalition of opposition parties won at least 59 seats, said Tibisay Lucena, the president of the electoral council. She said several other seats went to a small unaligned leftist party and to indigenous groups, while the winners of some seats were yet to be determined because of close races in parts of the country.
Beyond Sunday’s results, the vote also reflected the capability of Mr. Chávez’s opponents to appeal to large blocs of the electorate, setting the stage for a potentially vibrant challenge by the opposition for the presidency in 2012, when the president’s current six-year term ends.
