国际英语新闻：Venezuelan president casts vote in legislative elections

CARACAS, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez cast his ballot in the country's legislative elections at Manuel Palacio Fajardo school here on Sunday.

Chavez said that by the moment of his voting, some 70 percent of the Venezuelan voters had cast their ballots.

The president was accompanied by Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro, President of the National Assembly Cilia Flores and campaign chief of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela Aristobulo Isturiz.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez casts his ballot at a polling station during the legislative elections in Caracas, Venezuela, Sept. 26, 2010. Venezuela held legislative elections on Sunday. A total of 165 seats in the National Assembly were up for grabs in the poll.

Chavez arrived at the voting center dressed in the colors of the Venezuelan national flag, and expressed his satisfaction over the way the elections were carried out.

He urged all the people to come out and cast their votes, as there was a good weather.

He also said that with these elections Venezuela was showing the world it was a democratic country, underlining the transparency, reliability and security of the electoral process.