Chávez defends Venezuela election

CARACAS, Venezuela — Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez on Friday denounced reports by international observers who oversaw recent congressional elections, rejecting criticism of his government's use of media resources.

Chávez accused the observers from the European Union and the Organization of American States of being part of a U.S.-backed plan "to destabilize" Venezuela, saying they belonged to "parties of the extreme right" and their reports contained "lies."

Although the EU and OAS missions declared Sunday's vote fair and transparent, the EU noted that Chávez's government used television and radio broadcasts as "an excessive resource" during the election campaign. The OAS delegation observed "political propaganda from high level public officials, including federal, state and municipal officials."

Chávez defended his right to appear on TV — something he does almost daily — and denied that he urged Venezuelans to vote for pro-government candidates.

He spoke on Venezuela's state-run TV channel from Montevideo, Uruguay, where nations belonging to South America's Mercosur trade alliance formally put Venezuela on track to full membership.

Chávez supporters won all 167 seats in the National Assembly amid a boycott by Venezuela's five main opposition parties, which said they did not trust the electoral system. Voter turnout was 25 percent, compared to 50 and 60 percent in Venezuela's last two congressional elections.