Venezuela’s Chavez tightens grip on power

CARACAS – Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez tightened his grip on power late on Sunday after his party swept legislative elections marked by anaemic voter turnout and mostly boycotted by the opposition.

The election hands Chavez’s allies in the ruling party more than the two-thirds majority they need in the 167-seat one-chamber National Assembly to enable Chavez to end presidential term limits and seek re-election next year. William Lara, who heads Chavez’s Fifth Republic Movement, told reporters the ruling coalition has won all 167 seats.He said his party will control 114 seats as a result of the vote, with the rest also going to parties that support the leftist-populist president.Lara insisted that after January 5, when the new legislature is inaugurated, Venezuela will still have a “multi-party National Assembly, which will include various civic groups and independent deputies.”But only 25 per cent of about 12 million registered voters showed up as most of Venezuela’s opposition parties, including Democratic Action and COPEI – which for decades alternated in high office – stayed away from the polls, charging lack of transparency, according to election officials.Official election results were to be released by electoral councils across Venezuela’s 24 states, but no time was immediately given.- Nampa-AFPWilliam Lara, who heads Chavez’s Fifth Republic Movement, told reporters the ruling coalition has won all 167 seats.He said his party will control 114 seats as a result of the vote, with the rest also going to parties that support the leftist-populist president.Lara insisted that after January 5, when the new legislature is inaugurated, Venezuela will still have a “multi-party National Assembly, which will include various civic groups and independent deputies.”But only 25 per cent of about 12 million registered voters showed up as most of Venezuela’s opposition parties, including Democratic Action and COPEI – which for decades alternated in high office – stayed away from the polls, charging lack of transparency, according to election officials.Official election results were to be released by electoral councils across Venezuela’s 24 states, but no time was immediately given.- Nampa-AFP