Venezuelan National Assembly Election Results Out

Venezuela’s National Elections Center announced the National Assembly Elections results on Tuesday at 3 a.m.
Venezuelan National Assembly Election Results Out
Members of the opposition bloc to the government of President Hugo Chavez called 'Board of Unity' (MUD) offer a press conference after the results of the election early on September 27, in Caracas. (Miguel Gutierrez/Getty Images )
9/27/2010
Updated:
10/1/2015

<a><img src="https://www.theepochtimes.com/assets/uploads/2015/09/104475469.jpg" alt="Members of the opposition bloc to the government of President Hugo Chavez called 'Board of Unity' (MUD) offer a press conference after the results of the election early on September 27, in Caracas. (Miguel Gutierrez/Getty Images )" title="Members of the opposition bloc to the government of President Hugo Chavez called 'Board of Unity' (MUD) offer a press conference after the results of the election early on September 27, in Caracas. (Miguel Gutierrez/Getty Images )" width="320" class="size-medium wp-image-1814222"/></a>
Members of the opposition bloc to the government of President Hugo Chavez called 'Board of Unity' (MUD) offer a press conference after the results of the election early on September 27, in Caracas. (Miguel Gutierrez/Getty Images )
CARACAS, Venezuela—Venezuela’s National Elections Center announced the results of the Sept. 26 National Assembly Elections. The opposition block won the majority of the total votes, while the incumbent government’s supporters won the majority of Assembly seats, due to the difference in the number of candidates assigned to each of the electoral regions.

According to the first official gazette published by the National Elections Center, the opposition won 61 seats, while the Socialist United Party won 95 seats.

“They know it and we know it—in the national popular vote for the National Assembly, the formulas presented by the unity campaign received 52 percent of the votes.” said Ramón Guillermo Aveledo, head of the coalition of opposing parties, “Mesa de la Unidad” (Board of Unity).

Chavez’s government now faces a significant opposition coming from the legislative power, which could interfere with his attempt to obtain approval for ambitious laws or constitutional amendments to further advance his socialist revolution.

A very notable aspect of the government’s political campaign for the National Assembly elections, was that President Chavez’s image was the main element spearheading the socialist candidates’ political propaganda.

In the streets, hundreds of posters with the president’s picture accompanied by socialist slogans, outnumbered those of the government’s own deputy candidates. This has led some experts to believe that the percentage of votes for the government’s political party is a manifestation of the current popular support for the president. If this were the case, the results reflect a current 52 percent lack of support for him from the population.

“The one who was truly defeated during these elections was Chavez,” said Carlos Iturgaiz, a deputy of the European Parliament, during an interview with Globovisión news. He spoke about Chavez’s role in the Socialist United Party’s political campaign.

After the results were published, the government’s party made a few public statements regarding what they considered a victory, and quickly ended their public demonstration. Even though Chavez’s supporters waited all night for the president and called for his presence and a speech, he did not give a speech or appear publicly.

In legislative elections in 2006, all opposition candidates withdrew their candidacy alleging that newly implemented fingerprint scanning machines allowed the government to track how people voted, violating voting privacy rights.

The withdrawals allowed Chavez’s government to win an overwhelming majority in the National Assembly. They consolidated his power and served as a legislative arm to quickly develop Chavez’s revolution in Venezuela over the last six years.