| Publication |
2014.
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| Summary/Abstract |
A year after the death of Hugo Chávez from cancer, Venezuela remains as polarized as at any time during the flamboyant strongman's fourteen-year rule. As the dysfunctional economy he bequeathed to his successors continues to unravel-despite proven oil reserves rivaling those of Saudi Arabia-a determined political opposition continues its uphill fight against what Chávez designed as a permanent revolution. President Nicolás Maduro, Chávez's anointed successor, came to power in a special election last April that was much closer than expected, sending shock waves through the chavista ranks. There were enough doubts about the legitimacy of the vote that his opponent, Henrique Capriles, never conceded. Since then, Maduro has struggled to escape Chávez's shadow and assert his authority over the faction-ridden chavista party, the PSUV, a hodgepodge of leftists of all stripes along with a faction of the military loyal to the late president. Maduro has been buffeted by one challenge after another: infrastructure breakdowns leading to electricity shortages, scarcity of basic consumer items, rampant inflation, declining production, an overvalued currency (the black-market rate for dollars is ten times higher than the official exchange), and rampant street crime.
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