Will Maduro pull nation back from the abyss?

The change now has a date” announced Venezuela’s young, charismatic leader, Leopold López, from prison as he stopped his 30-day hunger strike recently. The decision to end his protest — in which he was joined by 100 fellow strikers — was in response to Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s statesman-like move to set the date of December 6, for parliamentary elections and to release several political prisoners. Maduro considered his action as part of his efforts to engage with the U.S. government and the Vatican rather than a result of pressure from López and others. More…