Venezuela: President Gets His Priorities in Order

Venezuela's leaders are still looking for a way out of the crises surrounding them. On Oct. 5, President Nicolas Maduro said that holding elections is not a priority for him. The statement refers not only to the recall referendum that the country's opposition has been pushing for — and that the government has been avoiding — but also to the gubernatorial vote that was scheduled to take place in November. Under mounting pressure from the opposition and from the United States, the president cannot defer elections indefinitely. Nonetheless, postponing the votes, or at least threatening to, could buy the ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) some time. More…