Venezuela opposition claims super-majority in vote

The government’s Socialist party (PSUV) has 55 seats.

Opposition leaders went to great lengths to make it clear both to Venezuelan and worldwide media outlets alike that the election were results were in and that they are “irreversible” as was stated by 2013 presidential candidate Henrique Capriles. But the opposition has a list of what it says are more than 70 other political prisoners. That would allow the congress to sack Supreme Court justices, pass major legislation and even convene a convention to rewrite Chavez’s 1999 constitution.

Voters had queued from 5am on Sunday to cast their votes in the hotly-contested parliamentary election, which marked the first real challenge to the policies of Hugo Chavez, the late Venezuelan leader, and his hapless successor Nicolas Maduro, the president.

But he recalled the long history of coups in Latin America and blamed what he called a “circumstantial” loss on opponents conspiring to destabilise his socialist revolution.

The results of that tally are huge, expert say. He was in fact detested by most Venezuelans.

“The opposition needs to accept this with a lot of humility”, said political consultant Francisco Marquez, who managed one of the winning opposition campaigns.

“We need to be unified to confront what is coming”.

Its term will last five years. Moreover, Maduro will retain significant powers as Venezuela’s political system is strongly presidentialist.

Mr Maduro, 53, also called for the opposition to “live together” with his side, a softening of tone from before the polls that seemed aimed at calming tensions.

“It’s a game-changer”, said Manuel Malaver a political analyst. This election enjoyed a high level of voter participation, with 74.3% of eligible voters taking part in yesterday’s elections.

“Change has begun today in Venezuela”, said MUD’s executive secretary, Jesus Torrealba, adding that the coalition didn’t want “revenge”.

Venezuela is the world’s worst economy this year. “They have those pictures but they’re not voting for the party that he created”.

The anti-Chavista forces also won all the districts in Caracas, the capital, including areas that were once fervent government bastions.

Maduro had repeatedly vowed in recent weeks to take to the streets and defend Chavez’s legacy if his party lost. While Maduro’s government has a poor human rights record, his acceptance of Sunday’s election results are a reminder that his is not a purely totalitarian regime.

“We’re here to show the other side of our handsome country – and the change is irreversible”, said Freddy Superlano, a newly-elected MP, who defeated Hugo Chavez’s brother Argenis.

Some government supporters are already bracing for a fight, however.