Venezuelan opposition wins legislature by landslide, delivering setback to ruling socialists

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) -- Venezuela's opposition won control of the National Assembly by a landslide, stunning the ruling party and altering the balance of power 17 years after the late Hugo Chavez kicked off the nation's socialist revolution.

The opposition coalition won at least 99 seats in the incoming 167-seat legislature, electoral authorities announced early Monday. The ruling socialist party won 46 seats.

The opposition coalition needs to take 13 of the 22 remaining races to give it a two-thirds supermajority. That would allow it to pass major legislation, sack Supreme Court justices or convene a convention to rewrite Chavez's 1999 constitution.

The victory is likely to fuel demands for President Nicolas Maduro to free jailed opponents and roll back socialist policies during what could be a period of intense political conflict, in a deeply polarized country mired in economic crisis.

Fireworks, car honking and shouts of joy broke out after midnight in the streets of the Venezuelan capital of Caracas when National Electoral Council President Tibisay Lucena announced the partial results, six hours after polls closed.

Within seconds, Maduro recognized the opposition's win, saying that despite an adverse result, Venezuela's democracy had triumphed. But he recalled the long history of US-supported coups in Latin America in blaming the "circumstantial" loss on a conservative "counterrevolution" trying to sabotage the oil-dependent economy and destabilize his rule.

"I can say today that the economic war has triumphed," Maduro, surrounded by his party's top leadership, said from the presidential palace.

Opposition leaders wept with emotion and swigged champagne as the results were announced. Many seemed stunned by their win. Some cautioned that the result has more to do with anger at Venezuela's woes than an embrace of opposition parties.



"As soon as January comes, it's amnesty for political prisoners, constitutional reform, a recall referendum. Radical change," said Popular Will politician Alfredo Jimeno.

Voter turnout was a stunning 74 percent, the highest for a parliamentary vote since compulsory voting ended in the 1990s, as Venezuelans punished Maduro's government for widespread shortages, a plunging currency and triple-digit inflation.

But Maduro, who became president after Chavez died, still has a near-complete grip on the executive and judicial branches of government, including the Supreme Court, so he can easily outflank a hostile congress if it lacks a super-majority. And some have already floated the idea that outgoing lawmakers will pass a law granting Maduro special decree powers to ride roughshod over the new congress, which won't be sworn in until January.

Hardliners are already vowing to seek a recall referendum to cut short Maduro's term before it ends in 2019.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/venezuelas-opposition-wins-control-national-051145061.html;_ylt=AwrC1CjJ9WVWdxYAVlyTmYlQ;_ylu=X3oDMTEzc2p0NzZlBGNvbG8DYmYxBHBvcwMyBHZ0aWQDVklEUFJEXzEEc2VjA3Nj#

Years of corruption and economic failures led to this. The Maduro regime is finished.

It's nice to see, that the good folks of Venezuela, had the commonsense
to vote the pinko commie B.S. out of the majority.

Sean Penn is devastated....

Danny Glover as well.

Yep, I forgot about him

Wolff Blitzer weeps.