Venezuela Continues to Struggle After Chavez

As protests continue in Venezuela, the country's ruling elite has yet to settle leadership issues that emerged when Hugo Chavez died in March 2013.

 

The Venezuelan government seems to have been run essentially by committee since Chavez's death. President Nicolas Maduro lacks Chavez's institutional heft and popular backing, and he has not exercised the same level of control that his predecessor enjoyed. Meanwhile, National Assembly President Diosdado Cabello has taken a high-profile political role. Cabello has made a series of moves befitting a president, suggesting the potential for political competition within the ruling clique.