Map of Venezuelan regional election results. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's party scored a string of victories in key local polls, but in a blow to his socialist revolution the opposition won some major power centres, results showed Monda (AFP/Graphic)From The Christian Science Monitor:
Allies of President Hugo Chávez won 17 of 22 races for governor in Sunday's local elections, but the opposition won the two most populous states.
Caracas, Venezuela - Allies of Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez swept statewide elections Sunday, reaffirming the socialist leader's popularity.
But victories by the opposition in key races, including the mayoral post in Caracas, could prove an obstacle to Mr. Chávez's agenda, which received its first major blow last December after a stinging defeat in a constitutional referendum.
Although Sunday's election was regional, including races for 22 governorships and more than 300 mayoral seats, it was widely seen as a referendum on Chávez's stewardship. The question hanging over the contest was: Did last year's referendum loss represent an anomaly, or would a consecutive loss this year mean that the Chávez era is on the wane?
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My Comment: News reports of fraud and corruption have not filtered yet into the mainstream media .... but it appears that Chavez's support among the poor and indigenous groups remain unchanged.