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The opposition in Venezuela has won a majority of seats in the National Assembly, overturning nearly two decades of dominance by the Socialists of President Nicolas Maduro. Five hours after polling ended, the National Electoral Council announced the opposition had won 99 seats. The Socialists have gained 46 seats, with another 22 yet to be declared. President Maduro has admitted defeat, saying his party recognized 'these adverse results'. The opposition alliance, made up of centre and conservative parties, is confident of ultimately taking 112 seats after 17 years of socialist rule. According to senior figures in the movement, that would...

CARACAS, March 17 (Reuters) - Venezuela's acting president urged U.S. leader Barack Obama to stop what he called a plot by the Pentagon and the Central Intelligence Agency to kill his opposition rival and trigger a coup before an April 14 election.

Venezuela's caretaker president, Nicolas Maduro, asked Barack Obama to halt a plot to kill the opposition candidate in next month's election. You see, it's complicated. Maduro - sort of a "Hugo-lite" - announced last week that his government had uncovered an insidious plot to kill Henrique Capriles, leader of the opposition which would be followed by a coup of army officers friendly to America. Obviously, Maduro is worried that he doesn't have the election in the bag. From Reuters: "I call on President Obama - Roger Noriega, Otto Reich, officials at the Pentagon and at the CIA are behind a...

(Reuters) - Venezuela's presidential election looked headed for a close finish on Sunday with President Hugo Chavez facing an unprecedented challenge to his socialist rule from a young rival tapping into discontent over crime and cronyism. An energetic campaign by centrist state governor Henrique Capriles, 40, has given the opposition its best chance in 14 years to unseat the popular president and take the reins of South America's leading oil exporter. Chavez has used record oil revenue to support ideological allies around the world while taking a fiercely anti-American stance in global diplomacy, so the election is being watched eagerly...

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) -- Venezuela's electoral council says President Hugo Chavez has won re-election, defeating challenger Henrique Capriles. National Electoral Council president Tibisay Lucena says that with most votes counted, Chavez had about 54 percent of the vote.

The consultant Variance granted a victory for opposition leader 51.3% versus 48.06 Chavez. The school closings occurred one hour after the stipulated The candidate of the Democratic Unity Table (MUD), Henrique Capriles, be imposed against Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez in the presidential elections held on Sunday in the Caribbean country, according to a poll exit polls by consultancy Variance the absence of closure of polling stations. The time set for the closing were 00.30 Spanish time, however, and because of the long lines in some of them, have remained open for another hour, until 01.40. [Click here to read the...

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has won a fourth term in office after defeating opposition leader Henrique Capriles, electoral officials say. Mr Chavez won 54% of the vote, the country's electoral council announced. Noisy celebrations among Chavez supporters erupted across the capital Caracas following the result. Turnout was 80% in the hotly contested election and voting was extended beyond the official closing time at some polling stations with long queues.

Update 10:50 p.m.: According to the Associated Press, Venezuela’s electoral council has declared that Hugo Chavez beat Henriques Capriles in Sunday’s presidential election with about 54 percent of the vote, despite exit polls showing otherwise. Venezuela Twitter users have claimed Chavez’s victory was wrought with election fraud, and that the socialist incumbent president sent tanks into the streets of his country as those exit poll reports showed him losing. A picture of the tanks surfaced on Twitter Sunday evening. The British Guardian newspaper reported that Chavez also sent troops armed with AK-47s into Venezuela’s streets to fight against any protests...

CARACAS, Venezuela Dec 5, 2005 — Supporters of President Hugo Chavez vowed Monday to accelerate Venezuela's shift to a "new socialism" after claiming victory in elections that were expected to give pro-Chavez politicians all 167 seats in the National Assembly. Several of Venezuela's major opposition parties boycotted the vote on Sunday, which had an estimated turnout of 25 percent and is likely to further polarize Venezuelan society. The country has been deeply divided by the leftist leader's rhetoric, his alliance with the Cuban leader Fidel Castro and his efforts to seize unproductive farms for poor farmers, start state-funded cooperatives and...

CARACAS, Venezuela (Reuters) - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's political party, MVR, said on Sunday it won 114 National Assembly seats out of 167 in congressional elections to give it more than two-thirds of the legislature. Earlier, the National Electoral Council said turnout was about 25 percent of registered voters. The council had yet to give an official voting tally. Main opposition parties boycotted the poll after accusing electoral authorities of favoring the populist leader and manipulating electronic voting machines.

Parties allied to President Hugo Chavez say they have won all 167 seats in the country's parliament, after elections boycotted by the opposition. None of the five main opposition parties took part, accusing the electoral body of bias. Only about 25% of registered voters cast a ballot. A two-thirds majority in parliament will allow Mr Chavez to remove the current constitutional limit of two presidential terms in office. But the opposition says the low turnout deprives the election of legitimacy. "Venezuela is speaking with its silence," said Julio Borges, a prominent opposition member. 'Resisting death' The Fifth Republic Movement, Mr...

CARACAS, Venezuela (Reuters) - Parties allied to Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez won 89 percent of votes counted in a preliminary tally of nearly 80 percent of the ballots for the National Assembly, electoral authorities said on Sunday. The National Electoral Council said turnout was of 25 percent of registered voters.

The election day report This post will be updated through the day as I am covering the voting process. Last night We did not sleep well. All through the night there were occasional loud firecrackers. Around 3 or 4 AM there caravans of people circulating with military like clarion, wake up music if you like. At some point in my slumber I sensed them so loud, that I woke up to turn on the TV: I thought that perhaps the elections had been postponed and some people were celebrating. No such luck, it was indeed some chavistas rousing up San...