Politics

Chavism sweeps regional elections in Venezuela

Caracas, Nov 22 (EFE).- The ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) won in 20 of the country’s 23 states, apart from Caracas, in the regional elections held Sunday, with 90.21 percent of the votes counted.

Chavism won in all states except Nueva Esparta, Zulia and Cojedes, although the difference was still very narrow in Tachira and Barinas, according to an announcement by National Electoral Council head Pedro Calzadilla around midnight.

For now, the result in the cities remains undeclared except for Caracas, where former Interior Minister Carmen Melendez of the PSUV won with 58.93 percent of the votes against the opposition’s Antonio Ecarri (Alliance Lapiz), who secured 15.54 percent.

If these results are confirmed, Chavism will have improved its performance from 2017, when it won in 18 states and Caracas.

The opposition, on the other hand, won in Cojedes, where Jose Alberto Galindez of the Democratic Unity Roundtable (MUD) secured the maximum votes; Nueva Esparta, where Morel Rodriguez Avila of the Fuerza Vecinal party emerged on top; and in Zulia, the most populous state in the country.

Around 41.8 percent of eligible voters, amounting to 8,151,793 people turned out to cast their votes in the regional elections on Sunday. EFE

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