Venezuela National Assembly Elections, Dec. 6 2015

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Tibisay Lucena sang spoke. It is on (hopefully).

I guess, not much to explain. PSUV vs. MUD

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Is there any chance of this being even remotely fair and free? If there is, what are the odds that Radonski's party makes gains or even takes over?

For the opposition to win it does not have to be either fair or free. As long as the results are allowed to have any relationship with votes cast they should be winning. The country is falling apart. Polls show huge advantage for the opposition. Of course, there will be intimidation (it is going on already). Of course, the government will have every advantage imaginable. But its popularity is so low now, rigging would have to be massive to reverse it. But, of course, opposition cannot relax: they have to fight hard to overcome the regime. But this is THE chance: they have to do it.

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Hey this thread actually exists! Good.

Well, now that the MUD candidates for the most pro-opposition districts in the country have been disqualified because some totally-not-unfair reasons, I wonder what the MUD is going to do.

I guess, they should just nominate others. There is little that can be done - short of boycotting the polls. This, hopefully, will be an election where MUD lable is enough. The task is to make a show of strength - either win outright, or make it very obvious that the government is not merely cheating, but completely closes off electoral route by its actions. So, for the moment one has to persevere and document.

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In an "encouraging" news, a large group od Supreme Court justices is, apparently, taking early retirement. Their terms would be over next year, but they go now, so that they can be replaced before the election. At least, it suggests the government has not, yet, decided on winning at any cost.

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In an "encouraging" news, a large group od Supreme Court justices is, apparently, taking early retirement. Their terms would be over next year, but they go now, so that they can be replaced before the election. At least, it suggests the government has not, yet, decided on winning at any cost.

Nearly everything they've done suggest they don't plan to cancel the election.

Rather, it seems, they are planning to make the legislature as impotent as possible. Same as what they have done to governors.

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At least 98 seats for MUD, apparently.

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They say it is over 2/3. Latest number for the opposition is 113. Nothing official, of course.

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With this result there's a good chance now that the Venezuelan Congress will vote to pardon opposition leaders imprisoned by Maduro.

Hopefully, they would be able to do a lot more.

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Are people still claiming that Venezuela isn't a democracy?

Venezuela is, still, a democracy. It is not a liberal democracy, in that individual and minority rights are not protected there. But, and this is what I always granted to Chavez, the late SOB did like to compete, even if the competition was stacked somewhat in his favour. Maduro, being slavishly dependent on the precedent of his idol, does not dare get rid of that either, at least so far. So, it still seems that power in Venezuela can change hands via elections, and that is the definition of democracy.

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The MUD claims it has 112 deputies. We'll have to wait for official CNE results.

Actually, they claim to have 112 "assured" and another 4 "fighting for".

So far, according to MUD, it is having

Capital District 8 out of 9
Amazonas 2 out of 3
Anzoategui 7 out of 8
Apure 1 out of 5
Aragua 8 out of 9
Barinas 5 out of 6 (!!!)
Bolivar 7 out of 8
Carabobo 8 out of 10
Cojedes 1 out of 4
Delta Amacuro 1 out of 4
Falcon 4 out of 6
Guarico 1 out of 6
Lara 6 out of 9
Merida 6 out of 6
Miranda 7 out of 12
Monagas 4 out of 6
Nueva Esparta 4 out of 5
Portuguesa 1 out of 6
Sucre 3 out of 6
Tachira 6 out of 7
Trujillo 2 out of 5
Vargas 3 out of 4
Yaracuy 2 out of 5
Zulia 13 out of 15
Natives 2 out of 3

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Oficial results are posted for 165 out of 167 seats, and opposition has, I believe, 109 of them (or 110 - I am not sure about the 3rd native representative). Just short of 2/3 it seems.

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It is oficial

MUD 109 + 3 indigenous seats = 112
PSUV 55 seats

In Aragua 3 MUD won by a margin of 82 votes!

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What will the opposition - practically speaking - be able to do with this majority? I hear the appointment of ministers is the perogative of the president, so that's out. Perhaps provide amnesty for Leopoldo Lopez and others like him?

A lot more than that (for amnesty a simple majority would have sufficed). With 2/3 they can even change the constitution, and that could, potentially, be big.