Chávez fails to get two-thirds majority

AP: President Hugo Chávez's allies won a strong majority in Venezuela's congress, but lost the two-thirds majority needed to carry out major changes on their own, according to election results released yesterday. With the vast majority of votes from Sunday's election counted, Chávez's socialist party won at least 96 of the 165 seats in the National Assembly, while the opposition coalition won at least 61 seats, National Electoral Council president Tibisay Lucena said.

Chavez's party had held an overwhelming majority in the outgoing congress because much of the opposition boycotted the past election. The remaining eight seats Sunday either went to a small splinter party or had not yet been determined, she said. The council's initial bulletin did not mention the popular vote. Opposition parties have alleged that congressional districts are drawn to over-represent the government's strength, an advantage Chavez will not have in the 2012 presidential vote.