WATCH: Lawmakers Throw Punches in Venezuela National Assembly

Impact

Members of Venezuela's National Assembly got onto a brawl due to postelection tensions, leaving one opposition lawmaker bloodied and bruised. Venezuela's opposition refuses to accept President Nicolas Maduro's narrow victory over Henrique Capriles in the wake of longtime ruler Hugo Chavez's death. Due to this refusal, pro-government lawmakers have made a proposal barring the opposition from legislative activities. When opposition assembly members tried to protest this proposal, Chavistas physically attacked them. Here's the video:

One opposition assembly member, Julio Borges, appeared in a television interview with blood running down the side of his swollen face. This violence in the National Assembly is part of a larger effort by Chavistas to crack down on opposition members and bolster Maduro's power after such a narrow electoral win. After the fight, the National Assembly passed a rule forbidding members of the opposition to speak until they recognized Maduro's victory. Diosdado Cabello, president of the National Assembly, has also said that he will be withholding the salaries of opposition members until they submit to Maduro.

Opposition leader Henrique Capriles has called for a full audit of the narrow April 14 election results. The National Election Board has agreed to a partial audit, but refuses to complete a full recount. The Chavista government had previously promised a full audit.