Struggle looms as Venezuela opposition vows to fix crisis

Struggle looms as Venezuela opposition vows to fix crisis
AFP

Venezuela's jubilant opposition vowed Monday to drag the oil-rich
country out of its economic crisis and free political prisoners after
winning control of congress from socialist President Nicolas Maduro.
But analysts warned political uncertainty and possible struggles lie
ahead as the MUD coalition, with its moral figurehead Lilian Tintori,
seeks to push its advantage against the mustachioed president whose side
has been in power for 16 years.
Despite his fiery campaign rhetoric, Maduro promptly conceded defeat in
Sunday's legislative election and called for "coexistence" between the
opposition and his PSUV party, which lost control of the National
Assembly for the first time since 1999.
That seemed aimed at calming tensions after warnings of a repeat of last
year's deadly riots that left 43 people dead.
The boiling tension of the past weeks of campaigning subsided into
caution as Tintori and senior MUD leader Jesus Torrealba vowed their
side did not want "revenge" or violence.
"We have an immense responsibility," Torrealba said in an interview
broadcast online.
His mostly center-right coalition won at least 99 of the 167 seats in
the assembly, the state electoral authority said, with 46 for the PSUV.
"What happened yesterday was an electoral tsunami, but a vote of
confidence is one thing and a blank check is something else," Torrealba
added.
He said the MUD now had to "reinvent" itself to "deal with the crisis."
Tintori, the activist and wife of jailed opposition leader Leopoldo
Lopez, appeared smiling in world newspapers Monday as she celebrated
with supporters.
"I will not rest until all political prisoners are freed," she said.
"This is a historic day for Venezuela."
- EU hails, Cuba consoles -
International powers who have lobbied for change in Venezuela hailed the
result.
US Secretary of State John Kerry said it showed an "overwhelming desire
for a change" in Venezuela.
EU foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini called it a "vote for
change" and a call for "constructive political efforts to address
together the challenges ahead."
Cuban President Raul Castro consoled Maduro, the successor of Cuba's old
ally Hugo Chavez who launched Venezuela's socialist "revolution" in 1998
in the spirit of independence hero Simon Bolivar.
"I am certain that new victories will come to the Bolivarian
Revolution," Castro wrote in Cuban state newspaper Granma.
Some political analysts wonder whether Sunday's result could be part of
a broader rightward political shift in Latin America.
Argentines last month voted out their leftist president Cristina
Kirchner and Brazilian leader Dilma Rousseff's leadership is in crisis.
Reassured by Sunday's peaceful election, Argentina's conservative
president-elect Mauricio Macri dropped his earlier threat to try to have
Venezuela suspended from the Mercosur trade bloc.
- Economic crisis -
Hit by falling prices for the oil exports on which it relies, the
country of 30 million is in an economic crisis, with shortages of basic
foods and supplies.
Analyst Luis Vicente Leon, president of pollster Datanalisis, called the
vote result "a big punishment vote" for Maduro's economic management.
It was unclear, however, how far the MUD will be able to push its
advantage in the National Assembly to force a change of course or even
to get rid of Maduro, who vowed to push on with his socialist programs.
With the vote-count for 22 seats yet to be published, the opposition's
majority could grow. Two seats more would give it a three-fifths
majority which would increase its constitutional powers to challenge
Maduro, though as president he could still veto their bills.
Analysts were cautious about the prospects for change, particularly
since the MUD has so far not made any detailed economic reform proposals.
"The MUD itself may struggle to put together a coherent policy agenda,"
wrote Edward Glossop, a Latin America analyst with research group
Capital Economics.
Even if the MUD reached a two-thirds "super majority," he said, "we
suspect that the more immediate outcome... would be a messy power
struggle between the assembly and the president."
rlp/jm

Source: Struggle looms as Venezuela opposition vows to fix crisis -
Yahoo News India -
https://in.news.yahoo.com/struggle-looms-venezuela-opposition-vows-171434678.html