WOLA: Advocacy for Human Rights in the Americas
6 Dec 2013 | News

Venezuela Approaches Municipal Elections that Carry National Significance

Media Advisory

Washington, D.C.—This coming Sunday, December 8, Venezuelans will return to the polls for local elections. As these are the first elections since President Nicolás Maduro narrowly won the presidency in April, Sunday’s vote is being seen by many as a plebiscite on Maduro’s first seven months in office and his performance as Chávez’s successor. While in October the president’s popularity was in decline and his coalition seemed headed for defeat in the elections, recent economic measures in the past month, including forced price reductions of consumer goods, seem to have resonated with the public and could lead the government to stronger-than-expected results. Whatever the outcome, this weekend’s voting will have a strong impact on Venezuelan political developments in 2014.

David Smilde, WOLA Senior Fellow and Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of Georgia has just returned from a two-week fact-finding mission in Venezuela and will be moderating and commenting regularly on his leading blog, Venezuelan Politics and Human Rights as voting draws nearer.

Recent posts include:

  1. Venezuela Municipal Elections Cheat Sheet
     
  2. Q & A on Maduro’s War Against Speculation
     
  3. WBEZ Worldview interview on Venezuela’s economy and elections

Contact information:

David Smilde
dsmilde@wola.org
+1 (706) 583-8071 or
+1 (706) 248-8123

Kristel Mucino
press@wola.org
+1 (202) 797-2171
+1 (617) 584-1713