Government bench's parliamentary majority not enough to pass motion

<a href=www.vheadline.com>Venezuela's Electronic News Posted: Wednesday, June 11, 2003 By: Patrick J. O'Donoghue

Executive Vice President Jose Vicente Rangel has met Movimiento Quinta Republica (MVR)  National Assembly (AN) deputies, Nicolas Maduro and Cilia Flores, along with former Movimiento al Socialismo (MAS)  and Podemos (now Vamos) deputy, Rafael Simon Jimenez to exchange views on the situation in Parliament. 

Jimenez says it's important that the House returns to normal and deal with priorities such as the appointment of the new National Electoral College (CNE) authorities.

"People who feel strongly about what happened last Thursday and Friday should be allowed to lodge a complaint at the Supreme Tribunal of Justice (TSJ).

Jimenez discards the opposition threat to take the protest to international bodies since he says international organizations are already monitoring events in Venezuela." 

The House re-convened on Tuesday to take a vote on the minutes of last Tuesday. June 3. when the reform of the Internal debate regulation was introduced. 

At the first count the government bench won 81-79 with 2 abstentions and one saved vote. Since the government bench needed 83 to pass the motion, a second count was undertaken with government bench 82, opposition 79, and 3 abstentions.

• AN president Francisco Ameliach started another rumpus declaring a draw based on Article 129. 

However, the exercise has shown that the government majority is somewhat tenuous and dangerously vulnerable.