This article was originally posted by Reuters

Julio Borges, leader of the First Justice party and an incoming legislator, urged the government to avoid that temptation for the sake of plurality.

“The democratic way would be for the current assembly to recognize there is a new reality in the country and not give us the surprise of taking advantage and speeding through the approval of cowboy laws,” he told Reuters.

Chavez has had virtual carte blanche in parliament since the opposition boycotted a 2005 legislative poll.

But in weekend elections, the newly united opposition group Democratic Unity — which includes Borges’ party — won 65 seats, compared to 98 for Chavez’s ruling Socialist Party.

That will enable them to air dissenting views and muster enough votes to block some major legislation.

The new National Assembly convenes on January 5.

COMMON AGENDA SOUGHT

Chavez has a raft of proposals on his agenda to give more funding and power to local neighborhood political structures that are largely loyal to him. He is also known for springing surprises, like nationalizations, that are often quickly approved by parliament.

So the opposition fears he will use his window of opportunity before January to push through whatever he wants.

“The logical, civilized, decent thing would be to form a committee to find a common legislative agenda so the country can feel there is learning and understanding, and that we are on a better path,” Borges said in an interview.

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