Caracas, Venezuela
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez took complete control of the 167-member National Assembly this week. Opposition parties all boycotted the elections, saying the voting would be rigged. Chavez’s Fifth Republic Movement party won 114 seats, with allies from other parties taking the rest. A two-thirds majority is enough to amend the constitution, and some lawmakers say they will extend term limits to allow Chavez to stay in office. “The whole world knows a true democracy is in motion here in Venezuela,” Chavez said. Leaders of a U.S.-backed vote watchdog organization, Sumate, called the election “illegitimate.”
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
11 extra-special holiday gifts for everyone on your listThe Week Recommends Jingle their bells with the right present
-
‘Furious Minds: The Making of the MAGA New Right’ by Laura K. Field and ‘The Dream Factory: London’s First Playhouse and the Making of William Shakespeare’ by Daniel SwiftFeature An insider’s POV on the GOP and the untold story of Shakespeare’s first theater
-
How to shop smarter with a grocery budgetThe Explainer No more pushing your cart down the aisles on autopilot
