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Bloomberg
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro suffered a rare electoral loss when his candidate was defeated in a vote to elect the next governor of Barinas state, the birthplace of Hugo Chavez, who started the so-called socialist revolution.
Jorge Arreaza, a former foreign minister and Chavez son-in-law, conceded defeat to little-known opposition candidate Sergio Garrido. The Electoral Council said Garrido took 55% of the vote against 41% for Arreaza with a turnout of about 51.5%.
While the result won’t immediately weaken Maduro’s grip on power, it’s an embarrassing turn of events for the socialist regime given that a first vote on Nov. 21 was invalidated by top court loyalists. After the opposition candidate Freddy Superlano was barred from the election — followed by another two disqualifications – Garrido was tapped to compete in the re-run. Arreaza replaced Chavez’s brother Argenis.
“Mr Garrido has been elected governor and as such we recognize him,†Arreaza told followers Monday.