Venezuela's harried opposition eyes landmark win

Its leaders have been thrown in jail, banned from politics and remain deeply divided, but Venezuela's opposition nonetheless looks set to bruise President Nicolas Maduro by winning control of the National Assembly.

Sixteen years into late president Hugo Chavez's leftist "revolution," opinion polls indicate the opposition is poised to win legislative elections Sunday for the first time since the firebrand leader came to power.

That is a sign of widespread frustration with the economic mess besieging oil-dependent Venezuela, where spiralling inflation, empty supermarket shelves and long lines have become the norm under Maduro, Chavez's embattled successor.

But it is also a sign that the government's crackdown on the opposition has backfired, said political analysts.

http://news.yahoo.com/venezuelas-harried-opposition-eyes-landmark-win-042234053.html