Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez casts his vote during the legislative elections in Caracas. (Xinhua/AFP photo)

    CARACAS, Dec. 4 (Xinhuanet) -- Voters began to cast ballots in Venezuela's legislative elections on Sunday, while most of the opposition parties boycotted the elections, blaming a lack of full transparency.

    Polls started shortly after 0900 GMT, as 120,000 military troops patrolled on the streets to prevent unrest.

    The country has fourteen million eligible voters. But as five of the seven opposition parties have backed out from the elections, analysts predict a low voter turnout.

    The opposition parties that have decided to boycott the elections accused the National Electoral Council of favoring President Hugo Chavez and tampering with an automatic-ballot system. They also charged that the process of elections was biased and lack of transparency.

    Chavez, however, defended the legitimacy and democracy of the elections during his Saturday and Sunday speeches on radio and TV, saying that the boycott would not affect the elections' legitimacy.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez talks with staff members in a polling station in Caracas. (Xinhua/AFP photo)

    He accused the boycotting oppositions of "trying to lay the groundwork for destabilization and aggression against Venezuela," with the help of the United States, which has long been at odds with Chavez, a close ally of Cuban leader Fidel Castro.

    "They are going to try to activate (the destabilization) above all in December 2006," when Chavez is expected to seek a new six-year term in office, the president said.

    He insisted that "there is no political crisis here, as they want to make it seem."

    Chavez urged all Venezuelans to go to the polls.

The supporters of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez wait outside the polling station in in Caracas. Voters began to cast ballots in Venezuela's legislative elections on Sunday (Xinhua/AFP photo)

    Elections officials also said that only 10 percent of Venezuelan congressional candidates formally withdrew from the race.

    International election monitors -- hundreds from the European Union and the Organization of American States are on hand -- have declared Venezuela's electoral process legitimate so far.

    Polls showed that Chavez is Venezuela's most popular leader and the opposition boycott could hand pro-Chavez lawmakers the majority. Critics fear the dominant Chavez supporters at the congress would hand Chavez more power as the country is approaching the December 2006 presidential election.

    While supporters praise his reform efforts to improve people's wealth and health by using the country's oil income, critics say Chavez has eroded democracy by controlling the courts and electoral authorities. Enditem