Chavez's ruling coalition sweeps all parliament seats in Venezuela
Venezuela's ruling party MVR announced Monday that it and its allies have won all 167 seats of the country's single-chamber congress in the weekend's legislative election.

William Lara, who heads President Hugo Chavez's Fifth Republic Movement Party (MVR), told reporters that the ruling coalition had won all 167 seats, with the MVR securing 114 seats.

If confirmed by the National Electoral Council (NEC), the results will enable Chavez to end the presidential term limits and seek reelection next year.

The election, boycotted by five main opposition parties, showed a turnout rate of just 25 percent of the 14 million voters, according to the NEC.

President of the NEC Jorge Rodriguez attributed it to "torrential rains that prevented voters from getting to polling stations."

Members of opposition parties, however, said the low turnout diminished the election's legitimacy.

Chavez led a coup attempt in 1992, was elected president in 1998 and reelected in 2000, survived a coup in 2002 and fought a recall referendum in 2004.

During his eight years of presidency, Chavez spent much on people's welfare, health and education using the country's oil income, earning support from many Venezuelans. But critics say Chavez has eroded democracy by controlling the courts and electoral authorities.