Politique
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Venezuelan regional elections for state governors and legislative councils progressed smoothly Sunday, despite concerns about an ailing and absent President Hugo Chavez.
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"The electoral process is going very well and we expect it to continue this way all day," Wilmer Barrientos, commander of the Armed Forces Strategic Operational Command, told reporters at a press conference here in the capital.
Sunday's elections, widely seen as pitting the government's reformist policies against conservative opposition forces, witnessed a low turnout that contrasted sharply with the presidential elections held last fall.
Tibisay Lucena, president of the National Electoral Council ( CNE), said on national television that the elections lacked the excitement of Oct. 7, when long lines of voters could be seen around polling stations.
Just over 80 percent of eligible voters went to the polls in October, with the majority re-electing Chavez to a third six-year term.
Still, political observers were closely watching Sunday's voting for 260 public officials, including new governors for all 23 states, to see whether Chavez's ruling party, which currently controls 16 states, makes gains or suffers setbacks.
The outcome is seen as especially important given Chavez' recent relapse and need for emergency treatment in Havana, Cuba, where he is recovering from a cancer surgery last Tuesday.
If Chavez becomes incapacitated and is unable to be sworn in on Jan. 10 for the 2013-2019 term, the Constitution calls for new elections to be held in 30 days.
One key contest Sunday is for governor of populous Miranda state, which pits two important political figures: opposition presidential candidate and former Miranda state governor Henrique Capriles against Chavez' former Vice President Elias Jaua.
If the ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) does well Sunday, it will be seen as the consolidation and continuation of Chavez' leftist reformist policies, even if he is forced to step down.
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