Economics
Venezuela in Crosshairs of U.S. After Maduro Wins Shunned Election
- Socialist president seizes control of a country in distress
- Elections were condemned by international authorities
This article is for subscribers only.
Nicolas Maduro of Venezuela is bidding to join the ranks of presidents for life. His biggest obstacle is the grinding economic crisis that he created.
He coasted to victory Sunday in an election that defied international authorities, a desultory vote boycotted by the opposition and the most obvious evidence so far that the nation’s socialist experiment enjoys scant popular support. Maduro may join strongmen like Zimbabwe’s Robert Mugabe, Cuba’s Fidel Castro and Kazakhstan’s Nursultan Nazarbayev, controlling an outcast nation for decades.