The Decline of Democracy in Venezuela: From Chávez to Maduro

The Rise and Fall of Venezuelan Democracy

A generation ago, a charismatic former military officer burst onto the political scene in Venezuela, promising to usher in a more inclusive democracy—a system that would empower the common man and shift the balance of power away from the entrenched political elite. This man was Hugo Chávez, who, in a democratic election, rode a wave of popular discontent into the presidential palace in 1999, ultimately launching what he termed the country’s socialist revolution.

However, 25 years later, the landscape has dramatically changed. Chávez’s successor, Nicolás Maduro, now presides over an authoritarian regime characterized by the jailing of dissidents, the torture of political opponents, and the systematic censorship of the media. Recently, Maduro claimed victory in an election that many observers have denounced as a blatant manipulation of the democratic process, disregarding the true will of the people.

On Monday, as anti-Maduro protests erupted across the nation, armed gangs aligned with the government attempted to intimidate demonstrators into submission. In a striking act of defiance, protesters in the northern state of Falcón climbed atop a statue of Chávez. Initially, they tried to sever the head from the statue, but when faced with its massive weight, they ultimately succeeded in toppling the entire metal figure to the ground.

Today, Venezuela stands internationally isolated, grappling with the effects of a decade-long economic crisis, while also enduring an emotional scar from the mass exodus of millions of its citizens seeking a better life abroad. Steve Levitsky, a prominent expert on democracy at Harvard University, has characterized Sunday’s election as “one of the most egregious electoral frauds in modern Latin American history.”