Venezuelan Government, Opposition Squabble Over Final Seat Count, Powers
The Venezuelan opposition coalition claims to have won at least 112 seats in the country's National Assembly, which would give forces opposing President Nicolás Maduro ample powers to challenge his government.
Miranda Gov. Henrique Capriles said the Democratic Unity Roundtable (MUD) bloc achieved the critical two-thirds majority in Sunday's election, the BBC reported. That would give the opposition the possibility to make wide-ranging changes to legislation, as well as appointments made under Maduro and his late mentor and predecessor Hugo Chávez.
Government Ombudsman Tarek William Saab, however, seemed to suggest on Tuesday that the administration might challenge potential attempts to limits its executive prerogatives, El Nacional reported.
"The [National] Assembly does not have powers to oust members of other branches," Saab said. "Because if that were the case, this would not be a mixed system of government. This is not a parliamentary system [of government]."
According to El Mundo, however, 112 votes in the National Assembly would allow the opposition bloc to take actions such as to temporarily suspend lawmakers; create or shut down parliamentary committees; sanction or change all types of laws; call certain kinds of referenda; depose, under certain circumstances, members of the country's highest court; appoint a new government ombudsman; change electoral authorities; and impulse constitutional reforms.
But Venezuela's National Electoral Council (CNE) on Tuesday countered the roundtable's claims, suggesting that the opposition bloc had merely won a total of 110 seats in the new parliament, Voice of America's Spanish-language news service noted.
While that number would still far exceed the 55 seats attributed to Maduro's United Socialist Party of Venezuela, it would only constitute a three-fifths majority and somewhat limit the opposition's powers.
Still, Democratic Unity Roundtable lawmakers would be able to censure or remove government ministers and vice presidents; grant or remove decree-making powers; and, under certain circumstances, alter the members of the country's highest court.
Whatever the final outcome, both the MUD and the CNE have confirmed that the opposition has triumphed in the states of Anzoátegui, Aragua, Barinas, Bolívar, Mérida, Nueva Esparta, Amazonas y Vargas, as well as in the key electoral districts of Venezuela's capital, Caracas.
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