Opposition gets enough seats to block Chavez

Reuters:

Venezuela's opposition won a third of the seats in parliament and claimed a majority of the popular vote in elections on Sunday, a boost to its campaign to beat President Hugo Chavez at the 2012 presidential election.

Although Chavez's Socialist Party will have a majority in the 165-seat National Assembly, it fell short of its goal of winning the two thirds needed to pass major laws and make appointments to the Supreme Court and election authorities without the support of its foes.

The newly-united opposition Democratic Unity umbrella group said it won 52 percent of votes in the election. If confirmed, it would be a symbolic blow to the socialist Chavez in the 12th year of his rule of South America's top oil exporter.

"We are the majority!" sang opposition supporters after the results were announced in the early hours of Monday.

...
This also demonstrates how Chavez gerrymandering of seats distorts his legislative majority. He should be the one with a minority if the opposition got 52 percent of the vote.

The good news is they have enough to thwart Chavez;s attempts to get dictatorial powers.

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