New Venezuelan Parliament Focuses on Socialist Project

The governing Bloque de Cambio (Bloc of Change) formalized the socialist nature of the National Assembly as polls closed for Venezuelan parliamentary elections on Monday.

President Hugo Chavez referred to the strategic importance of the legislature to start strengthening the process "toward socialism" by 2006.

Chavez fully trusts in the overwhelming support of most Venezuelans supporting the social policy effective since 1999 to improve the distribution of oil resources, and his supporters hope to win over two-thirds of the 167 councils to approve key laws and reforms.