Venezuela’s full-contact politics

The people want the Socialist Party and the opposition ‘to embrace’, but it’s not happening. The popular distress is caused by galloping inflation that is triggering revolts, but a tough repression can be expected.

On the night of 6 December 2015, Venezuela took an historic turn. The right-wing opposition won a super majority, with two-thirds of the seats in the National Assembly, marking the first true challenge to the Socialist establishment which has been in power since Hugo Chávez became president in 1999. But this victory could lead to deeper conflict in the polarized country – even explode into an open fight.

With the striking result of these elections, a coalition of opposition parties could challenge the Chavistas, or PSUV, for the first time in 16 years. By winning a super majority of the seats, they can pass new laws, sack members of the Supreme Court and weigh in on appointments. They can also call a constitutional assembly to redraft the 1999 constitution.

But this is Venezuela where politics is a full-contact sport that can get ugly and violent. The ruling PSUV likes to remind its supporters – at home and abroad – that many members of the opposition backed the 2002 coup that briefly ousted Hugo Chávez from power. The opposition, on the other hand, claims that the government is increasingly authoritarian with a record of jailing political prisoners and silencing dissent any way it can. One of the most popular opposition leaders, Leopoldo López, has been in prison since 2014.

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