CARACAS, Venezuela — President Nicolás Maduro could not hide his disappointment after Sunday’s legislative elections. In an address on state TV, he spoke slowly, taking long pauses, it seemed, to find the strength to admit a painful truth: His United Socialist Party of Venezuela had suffered a crushing defeat. At first, Mr. Maduro delivered what sounded like a coherent speech that would lead to a message of acceptance and reconciliation among Venezuelans. But after a few minutes he awoke from the temporary spell of common sense and went on to blame an “economic war” waged by the right wing in Venezuela and abroad for the ruling party’s loss.

Mr. Maduro is right to blame the economy for his extreme unpopularity. Triple-digit inflation is eating away at salaries and shortages have Venezuelans waiting in hours long lines just to buy sugar, diapers and other basic goods. But this crisis is of the government’s making, not the result of a “war” by shadowy right-wing forces. And that’s why the opposition was able to endure a tough campaign and break through a rigged electoral system.

It was a historic win: More than 74 percent of Venezuelans voted — up from 66 percent in the last parliamentary election — and 112 of the National Assembly’s 167 seats went to the opposition coalition, giving it the coveted supermajority. But before the opposition celebrates its success, it would do well to look back at the last 17 years since President Hugo Chávez, Mr. Maduro’s predecessor and ideological godfather, took power.

The “Chavistas” have proved again and again that they are democrats when they win a vote and authoritarians when they lose. It would be surprising if things were different this time around. Indeed, the opposition-controlled National Assembly may be powerless before its term even begins if the government decides to try to cripple it.