Venezuela's Leaders Prepare for a Risky Election

A political turnover could be in store for Venezuela, and the country's leaders are doing their best to prepare for it. The Dec. 6 parliamentary elections are less than two months away, and the ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) stands a good chance of losing its legislative majority. Faced with the prospect of diminished political power, the party's key figures are taking steps to secure their own futures, including banding together and pre-emptively limiting the opposition's room to maneuver.

Even if the opposition manages to gain control of Venezuela's legislature in December, its effect on the country's broader economic crisis will be minimal. But because an electoral loss could accelerate the PSUV's fragmentation, Venezuela's political landscape could look very different in the coming year.