Opposition members chant in Caracas Venezuela. Credit: Fernando Llano/AP/Press Association Images. All rights reserved.On December 6, 2015, the Venezuelan opposition won control of the National Assembly (AN) for the first time since chavismo rose to power, 17 years ago. In a landslide victory, the Democratic Unity Roundtable (MUD) achieved 112 of the 167 seats in Parliament. It was truly an unprecedented event that goes beyond the normal implications of a political power shift.
To understand the magnitude of this occurrence, we must refer to the political structure in revolutionary Venezuela. In 1998, Hugo Chávez won the presidency promoting his Bolivarian Revolution, which in 2006 he labeled as Socialist. A new constitution was drafted, that saw the classical three-branch model of government extended to five. Thus, Venezuela is now divided in the Executive, Legislative, Judicial, Moral and Electoral branches.
