Last Days of Chavez’s Legacy: The Fall of Chavismo in Venezuela

Venezuela’s December election was an historic moment. After exactly 17 years of dominating the country’s institutions and politics, the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) — founded by the late President Hugo Chavez — was defeated at the polls. The party, and its Chavista allies, was beaten in the congressional election of December 6 by the opposition coalition, which now has enough seats in the National Assembly to challenge President Nicolas Maduro, Chavez’s successor. Indeed, Ramos Allup, the