CARACAS, Venezuela, (Reuters):
LAWMAKERS LOYAL to Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said yesterday they had won all 167 seats in the National Assembly, after only about one-fourth of eligible voters participated in an election boycotted by the opposition.
Electoral authorities were to present the final tally yesterday, but Chavez's Fifth Republic Movement party said it had secured 114 out of 167 National Assembly seats and that preliminary figures showed its allies had won the rest of the legislature.
Lawmakers backing Chavez say they want to amend the constitution to scrap the two-term limit on presidential reelection and introduce other reforms opponents worry will increase the left-wing former paratrooper's grip on power.
"The year 2006 will be for debate and definition of the themes and then we will certainly put forward proposals in 2007," Nicolas Maduro, Congress president and Chavez ally, told state television.
Most opposition groups stayed home on Sunday after accusing electoral authorities of favouring Chavez and manipulating electronic voting machines despite an earlier agreement to participate in the poll.
