The United Nations is holding a low profile secret election for seats on the Security Council, and Thuggo Chavez is pushing hard to get in. Yet, he is frustrated. Yet, he claims a victory of sorts.

Because, you see, he has “taught the empire a lesson.”

CARACAS, Venezuela - President Hugo Chavez said Sunday that Venezuela achieved its objective at the United Nations by preventing Washington’s preferred candidate from winning a seat on the U.N. Security Council.

Venezuela is trailing Guatemala after 35 rounds of secret balloting in which both countries have failed to garner the two-thirds majority required to win the seat.

Despite falling behind Guatemala in the race for contested seat, Caracas has successfully challenged U.S. interests, Chavez said.

“We have taught the empire a lesson,” Chavez told thousands of supporters in Valencia, an industrial city about 65 miles west of Caracas. Even if “Venezuela isn’t able to enter the Security Council, we’ve done damage to the empire. That was our objective.”

The U.N. General Assembly is slated to resume voting on Wednesday.