The opposition coalition destroyed the Socialists in elections for Venezuela’s parliament on Sunday. The Wall Street Journal reports:
Venezuela’s opposition, riding a wave of voter anger amid a deep economic crisis, swept to a big victory in midterm elections on Sunday, delivering a major blow to the ruling Socialist party and President Nicolás Maduro.
With 22 seats still too close to call, the opposition Democratic Alliance had won at least 99 seats in the 167-member National Assembly, according to official results released early Monday. That was more than double the tally so far for the ruling United Socialist Party, which captured 46 seats.
The margin of victory was bigger than expected, and a landmark victory for the country’s frustrated opposition, which hasn’t won a legislative or presidential vote since the late populist Hugo Chávez won the presidency in 1998 and launched his self-styled Bolivarian Revolution. Coupled with last month’s defeat of the ruling Peronist movement in Argentina’s presidential election, the outcome also signaled another important loss for leftist populism in South America.
