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Venezuelans vote for new congress
Parliamentary elections are taking place in Venezuela, with polls suggesting supporters of President Hugo Chavez will extend their majority.
All five main opposition parties are boycotting the poll, accusing the electoral authorities of bias.
Mr Chavez has condemned the boycott as a Washington-backed plot to destabilise his regime - a charge the US rejected.
His allies need a strong win in order to change the law limiting the number of times a president can serve.
'No crisis'
The left-wing Mr Chavez's allies currently hold 89 of the single chamber National Assembly's 167 seats and are aiming to extend their majority.
About 14.5 million Venezuelans are eligible to vote, although correspondents are predicting a low turnout.
The National Electoral Council said 556 out of 5,500 candidates have pulled out of the congressional vote.
Opposition leaders accused the electoral body of favouring pro-government candidates.
Mr Chavez denounced the boycott calling it an attempt to destabilise his government and urged Venezuelans to turn out in force.
"Those non-participating minorities ... are trying to lay the groundwork for destabilisation, and aggression against Venezuela," said Mr Chavez.
He insisted that "there is no political crisis here, as they want to make it seem".
The government has deployed thousands of soldiers nationwide to maintain order during the vote.
Three small explosive devices were detonated at a government office and an army base in Caracas, on Friday.
No-one has claimed responsibility for the incidents, but the government described it as an attempt to "disturb" the voting process.
The poll with be monitored by observers from the EU and the Organisation of American States.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4496586.stm
Mr Chavez has condemned the boycott as a Washington-backed plot to destabilise his regime - a charge the US rejected.
His allies need a strong win in order to change the law limiting the number of times a president can serve.
'No crisis'
The left-wing Mr Chavez's allies currently hold 89 of the single chamber National Assembly's 167 seats and are aiming to extend their majority.
About 14.5 million Venezuelans are eligible to vote, although correspondents are predicting a low turnout.
The National Electoral Council said 556 out of 5,500 candidates have pulled out of the congressional vote.
Opposition leaders accused the electoral body of favouring pro-government candidates.
Mr Chavez denounced the boycott calling it an attempt to destabilise his government and urged Venezuelans to turn out in force.
"Those non-participating minorities ... are trying to lay the groundwork for destabilisation, and aggression against Venezuela," said Mr Chavez.
He insisted that "there is no political crisis here, as they want to make it seem".
The government has deployed thousands of soldiers nationwide to maintain order during the vote.
Three small explosive devices were detonated at a government office and an army base in Caracas, on Friday.
No-one has claimed responsibility for the incidents, but the government described it as an attempt to "disturb" the voting process.
The poll with be monitored by observers from the EU and the Organisation of American States.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4496586.stm
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Chavez, a former army officer allied with Cuba, has accused Washington of orchestrating the strategy to try to destabilize his government. But he insists the boycott includes only a minority of candidates and will not invalidate the vote.
Main opposition groups said they would abstain from voting after accusing electoral authorities of favoring the populist leader and manipulating electronic voting machines, despite agreeing previously to participate in the election.
Chavez's supporters fired off rockets and blasted military trumpet salutes from speakers to mark the start of the vote. Early Sunday morning turnout in opposition strongholds in eastern Caracas was slim while in the western and poorer sectors lines formed outside voting stations.
Pro-Chavez lawmakers will likely sweep to a huge majority in the chamber. Polls show they were set to win a strong lead even before the boycott was announced. National Assembly deputies backing Chavez currently hold 86 seats against 79 in the opposition camp. Two new seats are up for grabs this year.
"The opposition are just a bunch of thieves who tried to sabotage the election," said pensioner Pedro Zamora who was voting in eastern Chacao district. "We can see the government are going to get most of the votes."
Chavez supporters play down the boycott's impact and said it was limited to a small percentage of candidates who pulled out because they had no support. But critics worry low voter turnout and little opposition representation could damage the new legislature's legitimacy.
Lawmakers backing Chavez have said they want to use their clout to press constitutional reforms such as lifting the limit of two consecutive terms on presidential reelection. Critics fear this will hand Chavez more power as the country heads toward a presidential vote in December 2006.
"PAWNS OF THE EMPIRE"
Caracas was quiet during the start of the vote, but State news agency ABN reported three people were injured on Friday when a home-made pipe bomb went off at a government office and two fragmentation grenades exploded at a Caracas army base.
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Hours before voting began, an oil pipeline in the west of the country was damaged in a blast that the government said was terrorism.
Jose Vicente Rangel, the vice-president, said on state television: "This is a miserable terrorist attack."
Rafael Ramirez, the energy minister, said the blast at a pipeline supplying the country's huge Amuay-Cardon refinery had not affected fuel supplies and that the fire was under control.
Chavez, a former army officer allied with Cuba, has accused Washington for orchestrating the opposition walkout to try to
destabilise his. But he said the boycott included only a minority of candidates who will not invalidate the vote.
Main opposition groups said they would abstain from voting after accusing electoral authorities of favouring the populist, left-wing leader and manipulating electronic voting machines. They had previously agreed to participate in the election.
Polls indicated a convincing lead for deputies backing President Chavez even before the boycott was announced.
Pedro Zamora, a pensioner who was voting in eastern Chacao district, said: "The opposition are just a bunch of thieves who tried to sabotage the election. We can see the government are going to get most of the votes."
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/97FB86C7-1346-45A9-8AED-ED7FAD5A3124.htm
None of the five main opposition parties took part, accusing the electoral body of bias.
Only about 25% of registered voters cast a ballot.
A two-thirds majority in parliament will allow Mr Chavez to remove the current constitutional limit of two presidential terms in office.
But the opposition says the low turnout deprives the election of legitimacy.
"Venezuela is speaking with its silence," said Julio Borges, a prominent opposition member.
'Resisting death'
The Fifth Republic Movement, Mr Chavez's party, won 114 seats in the 167 single-chamber National Assembly, according to senior party member, Willian Lara.
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http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4496586.stm