Ruling coalition wins Venezuelan local elections

The Venezuelan ruling coalition led by President Nicolas Maduro on Sunday won the the first local elections since the death of former President Hugo Chavez. Maduro's camp had secured 196 municipalities while the opposition led by former state governor Henrique Capriles won in 53, according to first figures from the National Electoral Council (NEC), with votes of other 88 municipalities still counting. Meanwhile, NEC President Tibisay Lucena said that reports from nearly all the polling stations suggested that the ruling coalition got nearly 50 percent of the overall vote against 43 percent for the opposition. The elections, choosing 337 mayors and about 2,500 councilors, were widely seen as a test for Maduro, successor of Chavez. Facing pressure from an inflated economy and a polarized state, Maduro on Sunday called on all patriots to vote "so we can give a victory to our commander (Chavez) and guarantee peace and future for the fatherland." More than 19 million Venezuelans were eligible for the elections, and the turnout was estimated at 60 percent. Sunday's elections kicked off at dawn and went on relatively calm as the NEC, the Venezuelan Public Prosecutor Office and the security forces have taken preventive measures. The Bolivarian National Armed Forces have deployed some 80,000 soldiers throughout the country to safeguard public order for the elections, together with 76,000 from other security forces.