Caracas:
President Hugo Chavez's opponents blocked him from capturing an overwhelming majority in Venezuela's congressional election, making gains that could challenge the firebrand leader's iron grip on power.
With the vast majority of votes from Sunday's election counted, Chavez's socialist party won at least 90 of the 165 seats in the National Assembly, while the opposition coalition won at least 59 seats, National Electoral Council president Tibisay Lucena said early on Monday.
Other seats either went to a small splinter party or had not yet been determined, she said.
Chavez hailed it as a "solid victory" in an online posting on Twitter, but he fell short of his goal of keeping the two-thirds majority that has allowed his allies to push through controversial changes unopposed.
Until now, pro-Chavez lawmakers have been able to rewrite laws unopposed and unilaterally appoint officials, including Supreme Court justices and members of the electoral council.
The initial count was announced eight hours after the final close of Sunday's voting.
The opposition had demanded electoral authorities release the results after an hours-long wait that put the country on edge.
Lucena said the delay was due to a number of close races.
Voters stood in long lines for the vote, which stirred strong feelings on both side of Venezuela's deep political divide and was seen as a critical referendum on Chavez's popularity ahead of the 2012 presidential election.
Before the vote, the opposition had criticised an election law passed by Chavez's allies that redrew some legislative districts and gave greater weight to votes in rural areas, where the president remains more popular.
Opposition candidates agreed to participate in the elections and respect the results as long as the vote count was transparent.
The opposition, which boycotted the last legislative elections in 2005, dramatically increased its representation beyond the dozen or so lawmakers who defected from Chavez's camp in the current National Assembly.
Many Venezuelans had asked why it took so long to release the results.
Chavez had said after casting his ballot that he expected results from the automated vote system to be available before midnight, but they weren't released until after 2 am local time (0630GMT).
Polls suggest Chavez remains the most popular politician in Venezuela, yet surveys also have shown a decline in his popularity in the past two years as disenchantment has grown over problems including rampant violent crime, poorly administered public services and inflation now hovering at 30 per cent.
Opposition candidates called the vote a crucial opportunity to defend democratic principles and freedoms, saying the National Assembly has been simply taking orders from Chavez for five years.
Since he was first elected in 1998, Chavez has fashioned himself as a revolutionary-turned-president, carrying on the legacy of his mentor Fidel Castro, with a nationalist vision and a deep-seated antagonism toward the US government.
He has largely funded his government with Venezuela's ample oil wealth, touting social programs targeted to his support base.
Soldiers stood guard during the balloting, joined by civilians belonging to the Bolivarian Militia created by Chavez.
At least 16 people were detained during the voting for violations such as tearing up their voting slips and officials also halted groups riding motorcycles in several cities, according to officials.
However, no major problems were reported during the voting.
An international electoral observer from Spain, Inaki Anasagasti, reported that the voting stations he had visited were "calm and well organised".
"We have a better impression compared with the one we had in the election five years ago," he added
Polling stations were slated to close at 1800 local time (2230 GMT), but were allowed to stay open later in spots where voters remained in line, the president of the National Electoral Council said in a government television broadcast.
With the vast majority of votes from Sunday's election counted, Chavez's socialist party won at least 90 of the 165 seats in the National Assembly, while the opposition coalition won at least 59 seats, National Electoral Council president Tibisay Lucena said early on Monday.
Other seats either went to a small splinter party or had not yet been determined, she said.
Chavez hailed it as a "solid victory" in an online posting on Twitter, but he fell short of his goal of keeping the two-thirds majority that has allowed his allies to push through controversial changes unopposed.
Until now, pro-Chavez lawmakers have been able to rewrite laws unopposed and unilaterally appoint officials, including Supreme Court justices and members of the electoral council.
The initial count was announced eight hours after the final close of Sunday's voting.
The opposition had demanded electoral authorities release the results after an hours-long wait that put the country on edge.
Lucena said the delay was due to a number of close races.
Voters stood in long lines for the vote, which stirred strong feelings on both side of Venezuela's deep political divide and was seen as a critical referendum on Chavez's popularity ahead of the 2012 presidential election.
Before the vote, the opposition had criticised an election law passed by Chavez's allies that redrew some legislative districts and gave greater weight to votes in rural areas, where the president remains more popular.
Opposition candidates agreed to participate in the elections and respect the results as long as the vote count was transparent.
The opposition, which boycotted the last legislative elections in 2005, dramatically increased its representation beyond the dozen or so lawmakers who defected from Chavez's camp in the current National Assembly.
Many Venezuelans had asked why it took so long to release the results.
Chavez had said after casting his ballot that he expected results from the automated vote system to be available before midnight, but they weren't released until after 2 am local time (0630GMT).
Polls suggest Chavez remains the most popular politician in Venezuela, yet surveys also have shown a decline in his popularity in the past two years as disenchantment has grown over problems including rampant violent crime, poorly administered public services and inflation now hovering at 30 per cent.
Opposition candidates called the vote a crucial opportunity to defend democratic principles and freedoms, saying the National Assembly has been simply taking orders from Chavez for five years.
Since he was first elected in 1998, Chavez has fashioned himself as a revolutionary-turned-president, carrying on the legacy of his mentor Fidel Castro, with a nationalist vision and a deep-seated antagonism toward the US government.
He has largely funded his government with Venezuela's ample oil wealth, touting social programs targeted to his support base.
Soldiers stood guard during the balloting, joined by civilians belonging to the Bolivarian Militia created by Chavez.
At least 16 people were detained during the voting for violations such as tearing up their voting slips and officials also halted groups riding motorcycles in several cities, according to officials.
However, no major problems were reported during the voting.
An international electoral observer from Spain, Inaki Anasagasti, reported that the voting stations he had visited were "calm and well organised".
"We have a better impression compared with the one we had in the election five years ago," he added
Polling stations were slated to close at 1800 local time (2230 GMT), but were allowed to stay open later in spots where voters remained in line, the president of the National Electoral Council said in a government television broadcast.
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