Dictatorship in Venezuela is Maturing

Fear takes over the top political leadership of chavismo. From President Nicolás Maduro, his wife who he calls "First Combatant," the brilliant legal advisor of the regime, Pedro Carreño, to Héctor Rodríguez, a congressman for the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV). None of them want elections in Venezuela. After promoting the construction of a participatory and protagonist democracy for years, now they do not want popular participation and intend to play the protagonist role in an exclusive way. "I think the National Electoral Council (CNE) is the body that has to organize elections, but here in the PSUV we are not seeking regional elections or recall referendums, since we are dedicated to the search for alternatives to resolve the economic crisis." More or less this was the answer given by Rodríguez to journalist Vladimir Villegas when asked if he shared the excuse, first made by Carreño and then by the own President Maduro, of holding an election in the middle of an economic crisis. More…