How Nicolás Maduro’s implausible election victory could also prove to be his downfall

Nicolás Maduro was always an easy target. In laid-back, no worries Venezuela where nobody and no subject is off limits, the president’s opponents have long changed the “duro” in “Maduro” to “burro”, which means donkey.

For the staunch anti-government crowd, the moniker was a perfect fit: Mr Maduro was after all a mere bus driver who through a stroke of luck earned the appointment of his far more astute predecessor. To them the contrast between Hugo Chavez’s charisma and Mr Maduro’s frequent blunders was laughable.

But on his first attempt at reelection, Mr Maduro, 55, has pulled off a victory many would have considered unachievable even for the shrewdest of politicians.

Nicolás Maduro is heading into Sunday's election ahead in the polls despite hyperinflation, surging poverty and a mass exodus

Credit:
CARLOS GARCIA RAWLINS/ REUTERS

As the country continues…

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