Voters have chosen the ruling socialist party of Venezuelan supremo Hugo Chavez as the winner of the country's parliamentary elections.However,
The infamous
However...
while his party has won the most seats, strong opposition gains have robbed it of enough votes to grease new laws.
| How on earth did that happen when it's his people counting the ballots? |
| Easy. The opposition started with 80% of the vote ... |
Having thus managed to deny the Chavez camp a two-thirds majority, his opponents will have more clout in trying to put a check on his delusions of grandeur.
Lucia Newman, Al Jazeera's correspondent reporting from Caracas, the Venezuelan capital, said it is a pie in the face for Chavez and a dream come true for his opponents.
"Although the ruling party did get the simple majority, the popular vote went to the good guys," she said.
Changed political landscape
"Supporters of President-for-Life Chavez tried to put on a very brave face this morning but they recognise the political scenario here has totally changed."
However,
This story is crawling with
Howevers...
Colin Harding, a Latin American analyst, pointed out that Chavez will still have his current, "huge majority" until January.
"I suspect during that time, he will push through measures to actually sidetrack congress, " Harding told Al Jazeera. "I mean, if the opposition have got a big representation in the national assembly, he will push through measures to give more power to what they call communal councils."