Venezuela opposition says it won majority of seats in legislative elections

CARACAS, Venezuela — Leaders of Venezuela's opposition said they won a majority of seats in legislative elections ahead of the announcement of official results.

"The results are as we expected. Venezuela won," former presidential Henrique Capriles celebrated on Twitter late Sunday. "With great humility, serenity and maturity we accept what the people decided."

A source within the anti-government camp told The Associated Press that the coalition believed it had won around 100 seats in the 167-seat legislature.

As of Sunday, the National Electoral Council had yet to announce results and the opposition claim could not be confirmed. The ruling socialist party did not immediately comment on the results.

The legacy of the late Hugo Chávez was on the line Sunday as voters decided whether to abandon his socialist system led by President Nicolás Maduro for the first time in 16 years and give the opposition a majority of seats in congress.

Most polls showed the Democratic Unity, a coalition of parties opposed to Maduro’s United Socialist Party of Venezuela, with a lead of up to 30 percentage points in the vote for the 167-seat National Assembly. Most analysts had predicted a much closer contest, given past gerrymandering and election regulations that favor the ruling socialist party.

If the opposition wins, the National Assembly could start proceedings to recall Maduro as early as next year, even though his term doesn't expire until 2019. Maduro, 53, a former bus driver who was handpicked by the cancer-stricken Chávez before his death, has been blamed for Venezuela's economic woes.

Polls closed at 7 p.m. local time (6:30 p.m. ET) even though the election law stipulates a 6 p.m. close. Results were expected before midnight local time. Isalis Morrero, who is head of a precinct in the capital of Caracas, said about 70% of registered voters there participated. The figure is far higher than past legislative votes, Morrero said.

Several controversies marred the election at the last moment. The National Election Council’s ruling junta extended the close of polling by an hour, drawing an angry rebuke by the council’s sole pro-opposition member. Rector Luis Emilio Rondon said in a press conference that “there was no reason to extend the close.” Opposition leaders also criticized the move, saying the decision was taken to allow the government to round up last moment voters in critical districts.

The Council also revoked credentials for the former President of Bolivia, Jorge Quiroga, who criticized the government for continuing to play unfairly, including the absence of press coverage of the Democratic Unity by government-owned television channels.

Last minute theatrics aside, voting took place without major incidents. After voting, Maduro pledged to work with the incoming National Assembly and said he would schedule working meetings with the new deputies to smooth the transition.

Opposition leader Henrique Capriles Radonski, 43, who is governor of Miranda state, narrowly lost to Maduro in a special presidential election in April 2013 after Chávez died.

"This has been an unfair fight," Capriles said after voting. "The government has used state funds to finance their campaigns." He stressed that all changes "must be made legally, constitutionally and peacefully."

Irene Hernandez, 56, a housewife in Caracas, hasn't voted since the 1990s but stood in a long line of more than 300 people to vote Sunday.

“I always supported Chávez, but I never voted for him," she said. "Today, I’m here because I’ve had enough. Our situation is so bad, so dire, that we need a change.”

Venezuela’s oil-dependent economy is likely to contract up to 10% this year, and inflation  rages at an annual rate of more than 150%. Shortages of basic food, medicine and even toilet paper are common, as Maduro slashed imports to free up dollars to make debt payments and avoid default.

The drop in oil prices has hit Venezuela especially hard. The country sits on the world’s largest oil reserves and derives 95% of its hard currency from crude sales.

Maduro and his party have asked voters to give them more time to make the economy better, blaming the downturn on a “war” against their policies by the country’s business elite and outside interests such as the United States and Colombia.

Maduro repeatedly asked Venezuelans to support the socialist party candidates to protect Chávez's legacy — the anti-capitalistic movement of giving more to the poor called Chávismo — while promising to boost pensions, scholarships and public housing.

“We have to support the revolution and Chávez,” said Jose Luis Reveron, 34, a farm laborer in the central city of La Victoria. “Maduro is doing a great job as president in protecting us from our country’s enemies. Those opposed to the revolution will never return.”

If the opposition's Democratic Unity prevails, the impact will depend on its margin of victory. A simple majority in the National Assembly would allow the opposition to set the legislative agenda and possibly pass a law to free political prisoners.

A three-fifths majority, or 101 seats, would empower the opposition to sack ministers and the vice president, while a two-thirds majority, of 112 seats, would allow them to call for a Constitutional Assembly to rewrite the constitution.

“There is a high rate of participation,” Diosdado Cabello, a close supporter of Maduro and president of the outgoing National Assembly, said after he voted Sunday in the eastern state of Monagas. “This is the 20th election we’ve had in 17 years. We hope that the opposition, which has a history of not accepting election results, will accept these.”

Many voters stocked up on groceries before the election, fearing that a loss by the Democratic Unity would lead to claims of vote-tampering and fraud, as well as demonstrations that could turn violent. Disturbances last year left more than 40 dead when peaceful student demonstrations led to rioting.

Even if the Democratic Unity wins, Maduro and his party could make it difficult for an opposition-dominated assembly to govern. The outgoing assembly could grant Maduro special powers, allowing him to rule by decree. Such a decision would certainly be challenged in the Supreme Court, where Maduro’s supporters are in the majority.

“But this will be uncharted waters for Chávismo, and it is hard to know what will happen,’’ said David Smilde, a senior fellow at the Washington Office on Latin America, a human rights advocacy group.

A bruising defeat could lead to ruptures within the ruling party, said Tarek Yorde, a Caracas-based political consultant, who has advised socialist party candidates.

If Maduro's party “loses big, there could be a movement to dump Maduro, as party officials seek to protect their position,’’ Yorde said.

“All I want is more of an equilibrium between the parties here,’’ said Carmen Luisa Leon, 55, an entrepreneur in Caracas. “Right now, (Maduro's party) controls everything. There is no dialogue. If the Democratic Unity wins, I am hoping that we will come together and take steps to improve Venezuela.”

Contributing: AP; Greg Toppo, USA TODAY