There were elections in Venezuela today, and it looks like Hugo Chavez's 5th Republic Party got a clear majority. Other sympathetic parties claimed the rest of the national legislature.
This sweep basically happened because the opposition boycotted the election. The leaders of this were the traditional ruling parties of Venezuela, notably Accion Democratica and an umbrella group called Democratic Coordinator.
One problem with this strategy is that voting boycotts rarely work. It's perceived that Chavez was going to trounce the opposition parties and that the boycott comes from weakness. This is partly because these same groups complain about the August 2004 referendum on Chavez, which was validated by the Carter Center.
Today's election had low turnout , around 25%, which does weaken it. Off-year congressional elections in the United States have a turnout of around 35%.
Also an oil pipline was blown in Venezuela today, and fringe anti-Chavez types are being blamed for that.
I'd only add that rejectionism isn't going to get the Chavez opposition very far. What if these election results are validated by the OAS, as they most likely will be ?
links:
US voter turnout
BBC