MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Venezuelan opposition calls on the electorate to vote “without fear” next Sunday

Chavez party is expected to retain at least 110 of the 165 seats at stake

The Venezuelan opposition has called the electorate to vote “without fear” on next Sunday's elections, where some 17.7 million voters are eligible to cast their ballots to renew the 165 seats in the National Assembly.

Opposition candidate, María Corina Machado, stressed that all Venezuelans should go and vote so that the Venezuela can become “a safer country”, and added, ”We (Venezuelans) want to live without fear“. Machado also aimed her cannons toward the high rates of unemployment and crime.

Richard Blanco from the opposition Mesa de la Unión Democrática said that: ”a time of hope has come. On September 26 we'll start the countdown for the making of the Venezuela that we've been dreaming about“.

Meanwhile, President Hugo Chávez Frías, vowed that no matter what the ballot results are next Sunday, everybody should respect the will of the Venezuelan people.

The president said his United Socialist Party of Venezuela and its allies will accept the results of next week’s legislative elections and called on the opposition to do the same.

The National Assembly is currently dominated by Chavez’s party because the opposition withdrew at the last minute from the 2005 elections.

Chávez has put into action all possible political and propagandistic mechanisms to convince the population to stay on the government's course. According to latest polls, the ruling party expects to hold on 110 National Assembly seats while the opposition could gain 55 seats.

In an attempt to fight back Chávez's powerful propaganda campaign, the opposition launched this week a musical video in which local artist gathered to support the opposition under the motto ”Vivir sin miedo” (Live without fear) which is the name of the song that is being aired on TV.

However most political analysts believe President Chavez will manage to retain at least the magic number of 110 seats in the Assembly, equivalent to the special majority of two thirds for extraordinary legislation.

This as a result of Chavez gerrymandering of constituencies which means that in the eight most populous electoral districts, where the opposition is strongest, the number of deputies to be elected is 80, while in the remaining 16 states, less populated and overwhelmingly in favour of the presidential United Socialist party, 82 seats are up for grabs.

Public opinion polls show that Chavez united Socialist party is ahead with 52%, followed closely by the opposition with 48% and a plus/minus three percentage points margin, Furthermore in spite of the fact that support for the populist leader has been eroding and dropped to 36% from an all time record of 71% during the last legislative election in 2005, Chavez remains the most charismatic politician in the Venezuelan stage.