Venezuela's government will hold an election, but it will be neither free nor fair. And that fact has effectively eliminated the chance of negotiating a settlement to the country's political crisis anytime soon. The administration of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro announced on Jan. 23 that it would hold a presidential election April 30. The Latin American countries overseeing the negotiations to promote political coexistence between the Venezuelan government and its opposition reacted negatively to the announcement, saying that it is impossible to hold fair elections so soon. The United States and many Latin American governments will not recognize the results of any election held so swiftly and without guarantees that the government will allow international observers and refrain from manipulating results....
