President Nicolas Maduro is seeking a second, six-year term despite a deepening crisis that’s made food scarce and inflation soar as oil production in the once wealthy nation plummets. President Nicolas Maduro is expected to handily win a second term despite the deepening crisis that’s made food scarce and inflation soar as oil production in the once wealthy nation plummets. While polls show Venezuelans overwhelmingly blame Maduro for their mounting troubles, he’s still heavily favored to win thanks to a boycott of the election by his main rivals amid huge distrust of the nation’s electoral council, which is controlled by government loyalists. He said Venezuelans would provide an example of democracy to the world and brushed back suggestions he was taking the country down an authoritarian path. In the opposition stronghold of eastern Caracas, not all voters heeded a call to stay indoors in protest.

Source: Washington Post May 20, 2018 04:23 UTC