CARACAS- Voters in cities across  Venezuela were awaken in the predawn morning by loud explosions over their skies– the fireworks (more noise than light display) served as a reminder by President Hugo Chavez to the electorate that today is not just another Sunday, but an election day of major political significance.  Chavez, who embraces both social media, and military jargon, told his followers on Twitter to” un-sheath their swords” and ” Attack!”.

Chavez is correct: the 2010 election is the biggest political battle in years in this South American country, pitting Chavez’s socialist political party vs. an alliance of opposition political forces. All 165 seats in the Venezuelan version of  Congress, La Asamblea Nacional, are on the ballot today, and for weeks, national polls have predicted a heavy turnout for both sides. Today, Venezuelan TV networks, like Globovision and TVes, showed lines of voters waiting around city blocks to cast their choice for congressmen, called “diputados” here.

The legislative body has been overwhelmingly controlled by Chavez’s United Socialist Party of Venezuela–the PSUV– since opposition forces boycotted the 2005 vote over what they considered unconstitutional interfering by the controversial president.

The move backfired on the coalition of Chavez opponents who have watched on the side lines for the past 5 years as the Chavista-controlled Asamblea rubber-stamped the president’s socialist laws. Opposition candidates say that 2010 is their opportunity to rectify the mistakes of 2005, and fight back against a government that they describe as taking away the constitutional rights and personal liberties of the Venezuelan people.

” Fear has been sowed in the hearts of many Venezuelans,” says Maria Corina Machado, the telegenic, and charismatic congressional candidate, who has been the face of the opposition during this election cycle. ” A degree of intimidation of political  terror has been put in every single citizen.We need to fight and give Venezuelans the reasons and the emotions to believe that together we can overcome a government that has been taking away our freedoms.”

Machado especially singles out the millions of government workers, some of whom have told her privately,  that even though they disagree with the Venezuelan president they have been politically bullied into supporting  the Chavez agenda.

“These citizens, men and women, have been told expressly by the government and the political party…that everything they do or say against the government will carry a punishment,” Machado said to FOX in an interview at her campaign headquarters. ” They are truly scared to vote, and express what they want, what they dream, what they believe for their country, because they will be punished.”

Chavez has repeatedly denounced the opposition as members of the upper-class elite or “bourgeoisie” as he calls them, and he often labels them puppets of the American “imperialist” government.

” We are in a battle that is global,” Chavez said recently at one of his many massive rallies, leading up to the elections.” On Sept 26th we are again going to defeat the imperialists Yankees! Yankees go Home! Go Home!”

Chavez critics say that he has manipulated the election by mis-using his powers as chief executive of the country to influence voters. A couple weeks before today’s election, Chavez initiated a new government program where his government would hand out hundreds of thousands of Chinese-made appliances, like clothes washers, and air-conditioners at bargain-bottom prices to Venezuelans based on credit financed by state-owned banks.

“Our constitution states that it’s prohibited to use public funds for political parties or campaigns, ” Machado said, calling these programs overtly political. ” The government has used them to fund their Socialist party and has done all kinds of propaganda throughout the country.”

For Chavez this 2010 battle serves a precursor for 2012 when he himself will be running for re-election. Last year, Chavez won a referendum that changed the  Venezuela constitution to allow him to run for president indefinitely.

“It smells like it is 2012! it smells like it is 2012!” Chavez yelled earlier this month to his chanting supporters, clad in red, and waving large Socialist party flags.

“September 26th will be a body blow right in their liver,” Chavez said, predicting the election outcome for the opposition party. ”And then in 2012.”

The president of Venezuela then smiled wide: In one motion, he thrust his fist into the air, hitting an imaginary foe with an upper-cut punch.

His supporters erupted in cheers.