Chavez allies win congressional majority in vote

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CARACAS, Sept 27 (AP): 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 tight grip on power.
With the vast majority of votes from Sunday's election counted, Chavez's socialist party won at least 96 of the 165 seats in the National Assembly, while the opposition coalition won at least 61 seats, National Electoral Council president Tibisay Lucena said early Monday. The remaining eight 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.