Venezuela Vote, in Doubt, Is Now Set

Venezuela will hold a congressional vote on Dec. 6, officials said on Monday, ending months of speculation that it would be postponed by an unpopular government facing a tough electoral battle. Polls indicate that President Nicolás Maduro ’s ruling United Socialist Party is likely to suffer a major setback, with Venezuelans punishing the country’s leadership for an economic crisis marked by triple-digit inflation and chronic shortages of basic goods like milk and detergent. An opposition majority in Venezuela’s unicameral congress would strip Mr. Maduro of a rubber-stamp legislature that has given him power to rule by decree. Some opposition members have called for a recall referendum on the president, which is allowed halfway through the six-year term. Polls earlier this year found two-thirds of Venezuelans expected a referendum to end the tenure of Mr. Maduro, who was elected in 2013 to carry forward the self-styled Socialist Revolution championed by his late predecessor, Hugo Chávez. More…