PSUV and allies win at least 95 or 165 seats in Venezuelan National Assembly

[Cooler Reds Will Prevail]

There isn't a whole lot of information yet in English, but the state-owned TV station, Venezolana de Television, is reporting that PSUV has so far won 93 seats, with the leftist PPT (Patria Para Todos) taking an additional two, for a total of 95 for the left. The opposition has taken at least 59. There remain 6% of seats left to be determined, with indigenous groups taking an additional 3 seats.

This is short of the 2/3 majority that the PSUV needs to push through certain legislation and to appoint individuals to certain positions (Supreme Court) without the participation of the opposition. Based on these results, the left has taken 58% of the seats and the opposition 36%.

There is no word yet on the total votes cast for each side, but it should be available shortly. Rumors have it that the opposition actually won the popular vote with 52%, though there is no official word on that yet. Redistricting in Venezuela gave more power to rural areas in the south, which are stronger Chavez strongholds.

Link to article in Spanish (http://www.vtv.gov.ve/noticias-nacionales/45052)

[Wanted Man]

Quite remarkably, the headline of ANP (Dutch press agency) read: "Opposition prevents power-grab Hugo Chávez" (power-grab as in self-coup).

[REDSOX]

A good result for chavez and the United Socialist Party/CPV but not a fantastic result. Turnout was good at 66% but some chavez supporters it appears have abstained again. They won a majority but not a 2/3 majority which means they wont be able to pass constitutional legislation or appoint judges and other important people into positions. However 95 out of 165 aint bad. It could be a bit more there are still a few more results to come in. The 52% the opposition has claimed in the popular vote is bollocks. Provisional results form the CNE say chavez/PSUV have about 58% of the vote and the opposition 38 with more results due. Although not fantastic for the chavistas they are not bad either he wont have the same problems allende had in Chile.

[vyborg]

the result was quite predictable...Chavez retains support of a key part of workers but tiredness and lack of confidence starts to emerge....it is obvious after 12 years of revolutionary process...

As marxists always pointed out you cannot make half a revolution...

[Cooler Reds Will Prevail]

A good result for chavez and the United Socialist Party/CPV but not a fantastic result. Turnout was good at 66% but some chavez supporters it appears have abstained again. They won a majority but not a 2/3 majority which means they wont be able to pass constitutional legislation or appoint judges and other important people into positions. However 95 out of 165 aint bad. It could be a bit more there are still a few more results to come in. The 52% the opposition has claimed in the popular vote is bollocks. Provisional results form the CNE say chavez/PSUV have about 58% of the vote and the opposition 38 with more results due. Although not fantastic for the chavistas they are not bad either he wont have the same problems allende had in Chile.

The PSUV and the PPT have about 58% of the SEATS in the NA, not the votes. Just like in the US, popular votes don't always match up with electoral power. Example: The state of Barinas (a Chavez stronghold) has about 20% of the population of the state of Zulia (an opposition stronghold), yet 40% as many deputies, i.e. twice as much electoral power per capita.

And there was definitely abstention among the left, to a certain extent. The PSUV has over 7 million members if I recall, and they only got between 5-6 million votes, meaning that even some of the PARTY MEMBERS didn't turn out. Then again, I don't know if PSUV membership is limited to people of voting age or not, though I would presume that it is.

[pranabjyoti]

In "Democratic" India, just 50%+1 can give you absolute power. At least Venezuelan constitution is better than Indian constitution in this respect.
I hope, those voted against PSUV will soon understand that they had committed a mistake.

[cb9's_unity]

You know for a fact that if there is any disparity between percentage of votes for the opposition and the percentage they get for seats the capitalist media will again be talking about how anti-democratic Chavez is. Which is funny considering how consistently third party's (who sometimes get a decent percentage of the votes) get fucked out of getting any seats in first world capitalist "democracy's".

[~Spectre]

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/28/world/americas/28venez.html?_r=1&hp

Take a gander at this "left wing" reporting:


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.

The bold is a charged phrase. They opposition didn't make a mistake either in 2005, they just knew they'd be humiliated, so instead chose to try and delegitimatize the thing for the foreign propaganda press.


While Mr. Chávez’s allies preserved a majority in the National Assembly, gerrymandering approved earlier this year that gave disproportionate power to rural districts where the opposition remains weak helped them achieve that goal.

Even if we accept this "disproportionate" label as true, the same is true in the U.S..


But even while Mr. Chávez has been democratically confirmed time and again and even won a constitutional amendment abolishing term limits, his government has used various methods to weaken its opponents, including purging the Supreme Court of critical justices (http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2004/06/21/court-packing-law-threatens-venezuelan-democracy) and stripping resources from elected opposition officials at the state and municipal level.

Even if we accept this as true, court packing was attempted in the U.S., and to paint the opposition as weak in Venezuela is beyond deceptive. They are the richest elite of the country and orchestrated a coup against the government.


The National Assembly itself reflects Mr. Chávez’s control of increasingly politicized institutions, from the judiciary to the national oil company. Legislators have repeatedly rubber-stamped bills enhancing the president’s powers while allowing proposed legislation like tighter restrictions on gun ownership to languish.

Do I even have to?

And of course they end the article with:

“He has a powerful emotional connection with the popular sector,” said Mr. Schemel, “and he is supported by an extraordinary propaganda apparatus never seen before in Latin America, with the exception of Cuba.”

[Red Commissar]

Some headlines by western media heralding the end of PSUV's 2/3rds majority-

BBC: "Chavez foes advance in election", "Frustration for Chavez over poll", "Opposition hopes for comeback in Venezuela elections" , and a headline from a few days ago "Venezuela opposition in bid to recapture parliament"

CNN: Chavez's party wins majority in election

New York Times: Chávez Allies Win Majority, but Foes Make Gains

Los Angeles Times: "Opposition makes gains, Chavez allies see majority trimmed in Venezuela congressional vote" and "Chavez's party loses its supermajority in Venezuela elections"

And lets not forget Faux: Venezuelan Voters Loosen Chavez's Grip on Power

Yeah. Most of them either heralded this as a stand against Chavez's "grip" on power or pointing out the evil man still has the most seats.

The gains by the opposition was expected, considering the previous make up of the legislature was done due to the opposition boycotting it.

Chavez should also look at this though. The people who support him are fine with him- but not so much with PSUV people riding on his coattails as careerists.

[~Spectre]

The establishment parties always take a hit during economic downturns. PSUV and Chavez's approval ratings are still better than either faction of the business party in the United States.

[Agnapostate]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/09/27/AR2010092702257.html


Maria Corina Machado was among those opposition candidates who won a seat in the new National Assembly.

"Here it is very clear: Venezuela said no to Cuban-style communism, Venezuela said yes to the path of democracy," she said after the results were released. "We now have the legitimacy of the citizen vote. We are the representatives of the people."

The government's response was muted.

http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0705/p06s01-woam.html

Is this the same Maria Corina Machado who signed Pedro Carmona's decree abolishing various democratic institutions of government during his brief 48 hours or so of power, and then later claimed that she'd believed it was a sign-in sheet at the presidential palace? The same Machado who accepted funds from a U.S. Congress supported "NGO" as part of her own organization's anti-Chavez campaign? This Maria Corina Machado?

http://www.williambowles.info/images/machado_bush.jpg

Can you imagine a U.S. opposition activist endorsing the leadership of a coup that removed the democratically elected government and involved the kidnapping of the head of state accepting funds from an organization funded by the Venezuelan National Assembly, meeting with Chavez, and being elected to Congress despite these treason charges? How do people have the audacity to claim that the Venezuelan government is anti-democratic?

[~Spectre]

"Here it is very clear: Venezuela said no to Cuban-style communism, Venezuela said yes to the path of democracy," she said after the results were released. "We now have the legitimacy of the citizen vote. We are the representatives of the people."

You lost the fucking vote.

[Red Commissar]

"Here it is very clear: Venezuela said no to Cuban-style communism, Venezuela said yes to the path of democracy," she said after the results were released. "We now have the legitimacy of the citizen vote. We are the representatives of the people."

You lost the fucking vote.

Well by their reasoning they threw a wrench in Chavez's legislation. You'll probably hear Republican pundits exclaiming in November that their gains is a sign of America saying no to "socialism".

[~Spectre]

Well by their reasoning they threw a wrench in Chavez's legislation.

Then by my reasoning the majority of people threw a wrench in the opposition's legislation.

[RadioRaheem84]

Damn there is better reporting on the elections in this thread alone vs all of the mainstream media.