Editing Politics of Venezuela (section)

=== 2013–Present ===
{{Main|History of Venezuela (1999–present)|Elections in Venezuela=Elections in Venezuela}}
Nicolás Maduro has been president of Venezuela from 2013 to the present. His rule has been marked by a continuation of [[Bolivarian]] socialist populist policies (at least until 2020), but also by a severe economic crisis -- [[hyperinflation]]  (53,798,500% between 2016 and April 2019),<ref name="Al Dia">{{Cite news|url=http://www.venezuelaaldia.com/2019/05/28/banco-central-venezuela-hiperinflacion-2016/|title=BCV admits hyperinflation of 53,798,500% since 2016|date=28 May 2019|work=Venezuela Al Dia|access-date=5 June 2019|language=es|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190529191528/http://www.venezuelaaldia.com/2019/05/28/banco-central-venezuela-hiperinflacion-2016/|archive-date=29 May 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> escalating hunger,<ref>{{cite news |title=One in three Venezuelans not getting enough to eat, UN finds |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/feb/24/venezuela-hungry-food-insecure-un-world-food-program|access-date=10 March 2020 |agency=The Guardian |date=24 February 2020}}</ref> disease, crime and mortality rates,<ref name="Larmer-1-11-18">{{cite news |author=Larmer, Brook |title=What 52,000 Percent Inflation Can Do to a Country |newspaper=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/01/magazine/venezuela-inflation-economics.html |access-date=2 November 2018 |agency=New York Times |date=1 November 2018}}</ref> and mass emigration (almost 5 million from the country as of 2019).<ref name="wb-migration">{{cite web |title=Venezuelan Migration: The 4,500-Kilometer Gap Between Desperation and Opportunity |url=https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2019/11/26/migracion-venezolana-4500-kilometros-entre-el-abandono-y-la-oportunidad#:~:text=Venezuelan%20migration%20is%20not%20abating,Latin%20American%20countries%20like%20Peru.&text=According%20to%20the%20UNHCR%2C%20between,leave%20the%20country%20every%20day. |website=World Bank.org |access-date=20 November 2020 |date=26 November 2019}}</ref> Extrajudicial killings of opposition by government forces are reported (by the [[United Nations]]) to include 6800 deaths as of 2019.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/04/world/americas/venezuela-police-abuses.html "Venezuela Forces Killed Thousands, Then Covered It Up, U.N. Says."] New York Times. 5 July 2019.</ref>

The crisis has been variously blamed on [[2010s oil glut|low oil prices in early 2015]];<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the_americas/even-sex-is-in-crisis-in-venezuela-where-contraceptives-are-growing-scarce/2017/11/27/5d970d86-b452-11e7-9b93-b97043e57a22_story.html|title=Even sex is in crisis in Venezuela, where contraceptives are growing scarce|author=Mariana Zuñiga and Anthony Faiola}}<br />* {{cite web|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2017/06/venezuela-populism-fail/525321/|title=How Populism Helped Wreck Venezuela|author=Uri Friedman|website=[[The Atlantic]] |date=4 June 2017}}</ref> on an "economic war" on Venezuelan socialism<ref name="GDPShrink">{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-venezuela-economy-idUSKBN154244|title=Venezuela 2016 inflation hits 800 percent, GDP shrinks 19 percent: document|date=20 January 2017|work=Reuters|access-date=1 May 2017}}</ref> waged by international sanctions, and the country's business elite;<ref name=aljazer-3-1-2019>{{cite news|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/01/venezuela-crisis-country-190117184349473.html|title=Venezuela in crisis: How did the country get here?|author=Melimopoulos, Elizabeth|date=21 January 2019|work=Al Jazeera|access-date=23 March 2019}}</ref> and on  "years of economic mismanagement, and corruption",<ref name=aljazer-3-1-2019/> including a lack of maintenance and investment in oil production.<ref name="Larmer-1-11-18"/>

==== 2013 ====
On 14 April 2013 elections were held between Nicolás Maduro and [[Henrique Capriles|Henrique Capriles Radonski]], opposition leader and co founder of the political party, Primero Justicia. The Venezuelan election agency announced that Maduro won with 50.8 percent of the vote, the smallest presidential win margin since the [[1968 Venezuelan general election|1968 election]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-venezuela-election-idUSBRE93C0B120130415|title=Venezuela opposition demands vote recount, protests flare|last=Ellsworth|first=Brian|work=U.S.|access-date=21 October 2018|language=en-US}}</ref> Opposition forces said that Henrique Capriles Radonski actually won by close to 300,000 votes and proposed evidence of voter fraud.<ref name=":0" /> Capriles demanded a recount that in June reaffirmed Maduro as the victor. These results sparked subsequent demonstrations and protests by those who said the recount process was also illegitimate.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Carriquiry|first=Alicia L.|date=November 2011|title=Election Forensics and the 2004 Venezuelan Presidential Recall Referendum as a Case Study|journal=Statistical Science|language=EN|volume=26|issue=4|pages=471–478|doi=10.1214/11-STS379|issn=0883-4237|arxiv=1205.3009|s2cid=9646736}}</ref> Maduro and his government responded with suppression of the opposition that resulted in hundreds of arrests, that Maduro claimed to be in defense of a coup he was facing.<ref>{{Cite book|title=El ocaso del chavismo : Venezuela 2005–2015|last=Margarita.|first=López Maya|author-link1=Margarita Lopez Maya|isbn=9788417014254|oclc=973928217|date = 21 December 2016|publisher=Editorial Alfa }}</ref>

Maduro attempted to continue the [[Chavismo]] policies. Like Chávez, Nicolás Maduro has ruled by decree multiple times since he was elected in April 2013. President Maduro has ruled Venezuela by decree for the majority of the period from 19 November 2013<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the_americas/venezuelan-president-maduro-given-power-to-rule-by-decree/2013/11/19/af304c3c-516b-11e3-9ee6-2580086d8254_story.html|title=Venezuelan president Maduro given power to rule by decree|last1=Diaz-Struck|first1=Emilia|date=19 November 2013|access-date=27 April 2015|agency=[[The Washington Post]]|last2=Forero|first2=Juan}} {{verify source |date=September 2019 |reason=This ref was deleted Special:Diff/865130925 by a bug in VisualEditor and later restored by a bot from the original cite located at Special:Permalink/865127887 cite No. 14 – verify the cite is accurate and delete this template. [[User:GreenC bot/Job 18]]}}</ref> through 2017.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-31899510|title=Venezuela: President Maduro granted power to govern by decree|date=16 March 2015|access-date=27 April 2015|agency=[[BBC News]]}} {{verify source |date=September 2019 |reason=This ref was deleted Special:Diff/865130925 by a bug in VisualEditor and later restored by a bot from the original cite located at Special:Permalink/865127887 cite No. 15 – verify the cite is accurate and delete this template. [[User:GreenC bot/Job 18]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jan/16/venezuela-president-declares-economic-emergency-as-inflation-hits-141|title=Venezuela president declares economic emergency as inflation hits 141%|last=Brodzinsky|first=Sibylla|date=15 January 2016|newspaper=The Guardian|access-date=24 February 2016|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077}} {{verify source |date=September 2019 |reason=This ref was deleted Special:Diff/865130925 by a bug in VisualEditor and later restored by a bot from the original cite located at Special:Permalink/865127887 cite No. 16 – verify the cite is accurate and delete this template. [[User:GreenC bot/Job 18]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/venezuela-is-going-to-shut-down-for-a-whole-week-because-of-an-energy-crisis-a6939246.html|title=Venezuela is going to shut down for a whole week because of an energy crisis|last1=Worely|first1=Will|date=18 March 2016|access-date=12 May 2016|agency=[[The Independent]]}} {{verify source |date=September 2019 |reason=This ref was deleted Special:Diff/865130925 by a bug in VisualEditor and later restored by a bot from the original cite located at Special:Permalink/865127887 cite No. 17 – verify the cite is accurate and delete this template. [[User:GreenC bot/Job 18]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.latimes.com/world/mexico-americas/la-fg-venezuela-contreras-20170517-story.html|title=Human rights activists say many Venezuelan protesters face abusive government treatment|last1=Kraul|first1=Chris|date=17 May 2017|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|access-date=22 May 2017}} {{verify source |date=September 2019 |reason=This ref was deleted Special:Diff/865130925 by a bug in VisualEditor and later restored by a bot from the original cite located at Special:Permalink/865127887 cite No. 18 – verify the cite is accurate and delete this template. [[User:GreenC bot/Job 18]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.lapatilla.com/site/2017/07/18/gobierno-extiende-por-decima-vez-el-decreto-de-emergencia-economica/|title=Gobierno extiende por décima vez el decreto de emergencia económica|date=18 July 2017|work=[[La Patilla]]|access-date=19 July 2017|language=es-ES}} {{verify source |date=September 2019 |reason=This ref was deleted Special:Diff/865130925 by a bug in VisualEditor and later restored by a bot from the original cite located at Special:Permalink/865127887 cite No. 19 – verify the cite is accurate and delete this template. [[User:GreenC bot/Job 18]]}}</ref> Maduro has not achieved the same level of popularity that Chávez had during his presidency, demonstrated by the narrow early presidential election win. Many attribute Maduro's failure to continue the same populism model successfully to his lack of charisma that Chávez capitalized on. Chávez's opposition reported to still have large love and respect for Chávez during his presidency, Eric Olsen, deputy director of the Latin American Program at the Wilson Center reports.<ref name=":1">{{Cite news|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2017/08/23/nicolas-maduro-venezeula-president/573363001/|title=Why is Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro so controversial?|work=USA TODAY|access-date=21 October 2018|language=en}}</ref> Olsen notes that this was not the same case with Maduro, who clearly lacks the same amount of captivating characteristics.<ref name=":1" />

==== 2015 ====
2015 was a strong year for the MUD opposition, taking two-thirds of the congressional sets, [[2015 Venezuelan parliamentary election|a super majority]]. This was the first time in 16 years that PSUV did not have the majority in congress and this was not due to low voter turnout, as it was at 74.3%.<ref name=":2">{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-35033778|title=Venezuela opposition 'has key majority'|date=7 December 2015|work=BBC News|access-date=26 November 2018|language=en-GB}}</ref>  Henrique Capriles a former MUD presidential candidate and the opposition coalition leader, Jesus Torrealba marked this as a change in the nation's history encouraging celebration with Torrealba stating, "Venezuela wanted a change and that change came. A new majority expressed itself and sent a clear and resounding message."<ref name=":2" /> Maduro stated in his televised response, "We have come with our morality and our ethics to recognize these adverse results, to accept them and to tell our Venezuela, The Constitution and democracy have triumphed", and later said "In Venezuela the opposition has not won ... For now, a counterrevolution that is at our doorstep has won".<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/07/world/americas/venezuela-elections.html|title=Venezuelan Opposition Claims a Rare Victory: A Legislative Majority|newspaper=The New York Times |date=7 December 2015 |access-date=26 November 2018|language=en|last1=Neuman |first1=William }}</ref>

==== 2017 ====
The strong performance by the opposition led to the reduction of the legislative powers due to the judiciary's increased scope and politicization.  The Supreme Tribunal of Justice (TSJ), controlled by the PSUV, invalidated three deputies' elections from the opposition. When this ruling was not accepted by the Assembly, its powers were stripped.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Latin American politics and development|others=Kline, Harvey F.,, Wade, Christine J.|date=18 July 2017|isbn=9780813350509|edition= Ninth |location=New York, NY|oclc=962551647}}</ref> By 2017, the old legislative body was dismissed and transformed into the [[2017 Venezuelan Constituent Assembly election|New Constituent National Assembly]].<ref name=":3">{{Cite web|url=https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world/2018/venezuela|title=Venezuela|website=freedomhouse.org|language=en|access-date=26 November 2018|date=5 January 2018}}</ref> This was similar to the [[1999 Constituent Assembly of Venezuela|Constituent Assembly in 1999]], having power to change the constitution and dismantle pre-existing officials and/or the bodies themselves.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2017/08/01/venezuelas-dubious-new-constituent-assembly-explained/|title=Analysis {{!}} Venezuela's controversial new Constituent Assembly, explained|newspaper=Washington Post|language=en|access-date=26 November 2018}}</ref> The members of the Constituent Assembly were chosen in July 2017, during elections that were largely boycotted by the opposition, with accusations of illegitimacy.<ref name=":3" />

====2020====
In 2020, news reports described a loosening of many socialist/redistributive economic policies—price and currency controls, stringent labor laws—by the Maduro government, along with an rapprochement with members of the capitalist community—especially [[Lorenzo Mendoza]] of the [[Empresas Polar]] conglomerate who is no longer denounced as a  "thief," a "parasite" and a "traitor".  Changes such as the return of agricultural land and "dozens of companies" to private management have allowed the government to survive economic sanctions (though economic production and employment is still greatly reduced), and have proceeded in exchange for an abandonment of political opposition by Mendoza.<ref name="Kurmanaev-2020">{{cite news |last1=Kurmanaev |first1=Anatoly |title=Venezuela's Socialists Embrace Business, Making Partner of a 'Parasite' |newspaper=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/23/world/americas/venezuela-economy-polar.html |access-date=20 November 2020 |agency=New York Times |date=23 February 2020}}</ref> Another result of the [[economic liberalization]] is that erstwhile socialist allies of Maduro's government who began to protest corruption and the "extravagant lives flaunted by the government's cronies in supermarkets stocked with expensive imports and luxury car showrooms", have become victims to the same security apparatus that have attacked Maduro's opponents on the right—they have been denounced as traitors, arrested (leaders of the [[Communist Party of Venezuela|Communist]] and [[Tupamaro (Venezuela)|Tupamaro]] parties), beaten and sometimes assassinated  (the fate of radio host José Carmelo Bislick).<ref name="nyt-championed-19-11-2020">{{cite news |last1=Herrera |first1=Isayen |last2=Kurmanaev |first2=Anatoly |last3=Romero |first3=Tibisay |last4=Urdaneta |first4=Sheyla |title=They Championed Benezuela's Revolution. They Are Now Its Latest Victims |newspaper=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/19/world/americas/venezuela-maduro-critics-repression.html |access-date=20 November 2020 |agency=New York Times |date=19 November 2020}}</ref>