So the results are in, and Hugo Chavez is scared. The opposition won 52 percent of the vote, which allows them a whopping two thirds of the delegates. Now, for those of you math inclined, you might realize that in a functional system, 52 percent of a vote should result in 52 percent of the seats. But this is Venezuela, so the opposition should be thankful that they got 40 percent. It's enough to stop rule by decree, at least in theory, as that would necessitate the Chavistas controlling 66% of the Asamblea Nacional. But more importantly, it shows a real possibility that Chavez could be challenged in the presidential election two years from now.
The above math is a result of a crazy amount of gerrymandering, where the districts are not proportionally represented in the least. But it should be noted that even proportional gerrymandering can seem ludicrous. Here is a picture of the district representation from my home state of Maryland. Look at the red district. At least it's proportional?
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