# 1988 Venezuelan general election

General elections were held in Venezuela on 4 December 1988. The presidential elections were won by Carlos Andrés Pérez of Democratic Action, who received 53% of the vote. His party won the most seats in the Chamber of Deputies and Senate, but lost its absolute majority. Voter turnout was 82%.

## Background

Democratic Action President Jaime Lusinchi backed Octavio Lepage to succeed him as the party's candidate for the election, but in a primary election the party chose Carlos Andrés Pérez, (previously president from 1974 to 1979).

## Results
### President

| Candidate | Candidate | Party | Votes | % |
| | Carlos Andrés Pérez | Democratic Action | 3,879,024 | 52.91 |
| | Eduardo Fernández | Copei | 2,963,015 | 40.42 |
| | Teodoro Petkoff | MAS–MIR | 200,479 | 2.73 |
| | Godofredo Marín | Authentic Renewal Organization | 62,896 | 0.86 |
| | Ismenia Villalba | Democratic Republican Union | 61,684 | 0.84 |
| | Edmundo Chirinos | Communist Party of Venezuela | 59,034 | 0.81 |
| | Vladimir Gessen | New Democratic Generation [es] | 27,833 | 0.38 |
| | Andrés Velásquez | Radical Cause | 24,561 | 0.34 |
| | Gastón Guisandes | National Opinion [es] | 10,720 | 0.15 |
| | David Nieves | Socialist League | 10,065 | 0.14 |
| | Jorge Olavarria | New Republic | 9,969 | 0.14 |
| | Alberto Marini Urdaneta | Nationalist Unity Front | 5,821 | 0.08 |
| | Luis Hernández Campos | Nationalist Civic Crusade | 2,589 | 0.04 |
| | Luis Alfonso Godoy | Social Power of the Nation | 2,532 | 0.03 |
| | Leopoldo Díaz Bruzual [es] | New Alternative | 2,528 | 0.03 |
| | Alejandro Peña Esclusa | Venezuelan Labour Party | 2,168 | 0.03 |
| | Rómulo Abrue Duarte | Guiding Venezuelan Spiritual Force | 1,513 | 0.02 |
| | José Rojas Contreras | New Order | 1,176 | 0.02 |
| | Hernández Escarrá Quintara | Venezuelan National Movement | 1,412 | 0.02 |
| | Alberto Solano | Emancipatory Force | 818 | 0.01 |
| | Napoleón Barrios | Movement for the Defence of Nationalist Ideas | 736 | 0.01 |
| | Arévalo Tovar Yajur | Independent Nationalist Organisation | 432 | 0.01 |
| | Rómulo Yordi Carvajal | People | 382 | 0.01 |
| Total | Total | Total | 7,331,387 | 100.00 |
| Valid votes | Valid votes | Valid votes | 7,331,387 | 97.51 |
| Invalid/blank votes | Invalid/blank votes | Invalid/blank votes | 187,276 | 2.49 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 7,518,663 | 100.00 |
| Registered voters/turnout | Registered voters/turnout | Registered voters/turnout | 9,185,647 | 81.85 |
| Source: Nohlen |||||

### Congress

Seats :
| Party | Party | Votes | % | Chamber | +/– | Senate | +/– |
| | Democratic Action | 3,123,790 | 43.29 | 97 | –16 | 22 | –6 |
| | Copei | 2,247,236 | 31.14 | 67 | +7 | 20 | +6 |
| | MAS–MIR | 733,421 | 10.16 | 18 | +6 | 3 | +1 |
| | New Democratic Generation [es] | 236,833 | 3.28 | 6 | +6 | 1 | +1 |
| | Radical Cause | 117,562 | 1.63 | 3 | +3 | 0 | 0 |
| | People's Electoral Movement | 116,621 | 1.62 | 2 | –1 | 0 | 0 |
| | Democratic Republican Union | 103,883 | 1.44 | 2 | –1 | 0 | 0 |
| | Formula 1 | 93,228 | 1.29 | 2 | New | 0 | New |
| | Authentic Renewal Organization | 92,117 | 1.28 | 2 | New | 0 | New |
| | Communist Party of Venezuela | 70,058 | 0.97 | 1 | –2 | 0 | 0 |
| | National Opinion [es] | 41,984 | 0.58 | 1 | –2 | 0 | 0 |
| | Socialist League | 36,394 | 0.50 | 0 | –1 | 0 | 0 |
| | National Integration Movement [es] | 33,728 | 0.47 | 0 | –1 | 0 | 0 |
| | New Republic | 24,596 | 0.34 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | Electoral Renewal Integration | 18,986 | 0.26 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | National Party | 14,500 | 0.20 | 0 | New | 0 | New |
| | 51 other parties | 111,463 | 1.54 | 0 | – | 0 | – |
| Total | Total | 7,216,400 | 100.00 | 201 | +1 | 46 | +2 |
| Valid votes | Valid votes | 7,216,400 | 96.22 | | | | |
| Invalid/blank votes | Invalid/blank votes | 283,635 | 3.78 | | | | |
| Total votes | Total votes | 7,500,035 | 100.00 | | | | |
| Registered voters/turnout | Registered voters/turnout | 9,185,647 | 81.65 | | | | |
| Source: Nohlen, SIC ||||||||