As this issue goes to press, electoral authorities had confirmed the election of 18 MVR-backed governors and 2 for the opposition—in the western state of Zulia and Nueva Esparta, the island of Margarita. The result includes the defeat of Enrique Mendoza, one of the most prominent politicians of the U.S.-backed opposition, who was governor of the state of Miranda, adjacent to the federal district of Caracas, the country’s capital.

In two other states—Yaracuy and Carabobo, ruled until now by pro-imperialist governors Eduardo Lapi and Henrique Salas, respectively—the incumbents refused to concede defeat as the initial counts showed they both lost by small margins to MVR-endorsed candidates. Lapi accused the Chávez administration of trying to carry out a coup in Yaracuy. The government deployed troops in both states and the National Electoral Council assumed responsibility for determining the final tally.

The election of a governor in a 23rd state, Amazonas, now run by the MVR, was delayed until January.

MVR’s candidate Juan Barreto was also elected metropolitan mayor of Caracas, defeating Alfredo Peña, a major figure in the Coordinadora Democrátcia opposition coalition. Pro-government mayors were elected in more than 250 of the country’s 337 municipalities, according to Reuters.

The results are a further blow to the opposition coalition, which lost by a wide margin in August in its effort to unseat the Chávez administration through a presidential recall referendum. That was the third failed attempt by Coordinadora Democrática to remove the elected government. The first two, a U.S.-backed military coup in 2002 and a bosses’ “strike” in 2003 were defeated after massive mobilizations of working people that divided the military.  
 
 
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