After a fierce nationwide battle against Chavismo and the ruling party’s current leader Maduro, the Venezuelan opposition, under their leader Jesús Torrealba, won the elections. Whilst the current President will remain in power until April of 2019, the victory of Jesús Torrealba’s Democratic Unity Roundtable indicates a legislative power shift.

In 1999, Hugo Chavez took the presidential office due to his push for social reform and vision for equality in Venezuela, which is an economically divided and oil rich nation. Similar to many other countries in the region, economic inequality dominates the social fabric of Venezuela.

Now, after 17 years of socialist revolution, a new change has taken hold, with the Democratic Unity Roundtable winning 109 seats, in comparison to the previous ruling party, the United Socialist Party of Venezuela, who only secured 55 seats in the National Assembly. The key points of their winning platform was economic equality and a limitation of the aristocratic voices that had driven the country in the past. For instance, one of the biggest struggles in the region is inequality, as opposed to poverty.

Currently, the situation in the country is being fuelled by the economic recession, which has led to an increase in violence.

This political current change comes after many years as the majority of the population has continued to receive low economic benefits, despite the increased establishment of medical and educational services in poorer communities. The issue was largely that rich members of the population were focused, primarily, on their financial gain, which often lead them to go abroad and seek inventive ways to avoid having their foreign transactions controlled by the Venezuelan government.

Furthermore, Venezuela has granted oil exports to local Caribbean and Central American countries, which can be seen as an excellent way to boost local regional productivity. However, global oil prices are plummeting and the Venezuelan socialist movement, which has a capitalist heart, will be confronted with issues on exporting oil, rather than addressing the political injustices of the country.

As well, a key issue is the decline in oil revenue. Reliance on exporting this lone resource also leaves the country open to volatility within the international economy. As such, the new legislative cohort’s economic mission will be to make changes, such as controlling the oil reserves and the ability to spend overseas without barriers.

Following the election, the National Assembly may seek the publication of accurate economic indicators, which have not been published since 2014, leaving many Venezuelans in the dark about their country’s current economic situation.

In addition, the opposition, with its new General Assembly majority, is now looking to pass amnesty laws to release its party members imprisoned under Maduro’s regime and so free the voices that the old socialist government sought to silence.

Locally, Henrique Capriles, the Governor of Miranda celebrated the new government by saying: “Venezuela, we won!” Miranda is a tropical Caribbean coastal state, located in the country’s north, and it has the highest Human Development Index rating in Venezuela.

The political change was also recognized by Nicaraguan President, Daniel Ortega, who offered his condolences to Maduro, which demonstrated his disappointment about the change. On the other hand, U.S. politician, John Kerry, was pleased with the outcome of the election as the United States’ relationship with Venezuela, since Chavez gained power, had been strained. Kerry also mentioned that the new government represented the opportunity for a democratic movement.

Whilst the country’s President, Nicolas Maduro, accepted defeat, he vowed to continue the Chavismo fight in the name of his previous friend and leader, Hugo Chavez.

In the case of Venezuela, it is important to understand how their political system works. The President acts as the executive power, while the legislative power lays with the National Assembly. It is important to understand that laws must be voted upon in the National Assembly. Also, while the President may ask for laws to be reviewed through his/her veto power, the legislative branch has the final say over any changes in the country. Today, marks the first time in 17 years that the President has majority control over the legislative movements of the country.

This shift has also demonstrated how a change in government can affect a region. For instance, Argentinians recently voted in a right wing leader, Mauricio Macri. As a result, even after being under several years of Left ruler, Cristina Kirchner, her policies were crippled by the public voice. As such, it is evident that for democracy to thrive in any nation, it requires that promises made during a campaign are followed through on in order to create stability in Latin America.

Despite the goals of the Bolivarian Revolution that began under Chavez and now Maduro, the country relies on the economy. Is the economy beginning to be socially inclusive or are these political changes needed to achieve the very goals of the National Assembly’s previous socialist leaders. Equality is the key to stop the burgeoning violence in cities like Caracas.

With that said, the question remains: Is a country’s independence built on international isolation?

About the Author

Paul McMahon is an up and coming author as a result of an accident where he fell 3.5 floors from a building and onto concrete, but survived amazingly well. Paul also studied Social Policy and Latin American Studies. He has a Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/paulmcmahonauthor that you can follow if you like the story or like his travel blog. The message is that the worst accident in the world can still direct you into bliss and prosperity.