Voters choose new direction

Cardinal Jorge Urosa told Venezuelans to grab the opportunity to change the direction of their country at elections last weekend, before the opposition coalition won control of the National Assembly on Sunday, writes Isabel de Bertodano.

The vote changed the balance of power in Venezuela for the first time in 16 years. President Nicolás Maduro’s Socialist Party suffered heavy defeats across the country, with the coalition claiming it had won two-thirds of the seats in Congress, which would give it the power to make major changes to the way the country is run. “We have the chance to voice our opinion and choose the direction we want our country to follow: a route to peace, dialogue, democracy and progress,” said Cardinal Urosa, shortly before voting began.

He pointed out that if the opposition were to win a majority of seats at the election, “we will have a more plural assembly, representing more fairly the Venezuelan people and with a more critical approach to the ruling executive.”

The campaign was marred by violence, with gangs of motorcycle riders intimidating voters and an opposition leader shot dead.