Chavez's Disciples Are on a Collision Course

With the country’s deepest-ever depression pushing Maduro’s popularity to a record low, Cabello, president of the Congress, has acted in public as the loyal deputy, performing gritty tasks in the most difficult moments and places. But Cabello, openly ambitious with a take-no-prisoners style, isn’t just standing by his boss. With four in five Venezuelans telling pollsters that Maduro shouldn’t serve out his term, Cabello is using such crises to set himself up as his successor. “For now, Cabello has a marriage of convenience with Maduro, in which they understand they need to work together to ensure the continuity of the government,” said Diego Moya-Ocampos, a London-based political analyst at IHS Inc., a consulting company. “Steadily, however, Cabello is positioning himself as the leader in the next presidential elections.” More…