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Venezuelans went to the polls yesterday in important regional elections that will undoubtedly reshape the political future of the country. With 22 of its 23 state governorships, 328 mayoral races, and 233 regional legislative seats decided by Sunday’s vote, the opposition to President Hugo Chavez sought to make major political advances. The elections are a test of the newly formed PSUV Venezuelan United Socialist Party, in the first vote since Chavez lost a referendum in 2006. Though final official results have not yet been released, yesterday’s state and local elections boasted a record turnout of 65% of all eligible voters. Initial reports from the National Electoral Council show pro-Chavez candidates leading in 17 out of the 22 gubernatorial races. The anti-Chavez opposition, departing from their 2004 protest abstention from the regional elections, focused their critiques not so much on Chavez’s personality as they have done in the past, but on issues such as inflation and crime. Though they failed to make a significant dent in Chavez’s political influence, opposition candidates claimed some relative victories in taking the mayoral race in Caracas and two governors seats in populous states. With declining oil prices and the dismal state of the world economy, the election results will certainly factor in what will be a decisive year for the road to “21st Century Socialism,” in Venezuela.

GUEST: Miguel Tinker-Salas, Professor of Chicano and Latin American Studies at Pomona College