But some former Chavez supporters are skeptical. "He is perhaps a Madurista, but not a Chavista," Ana Elisa Osorio, a former minister under Chavez, told AFP. Lacking the charm of Chavez, Maduro had tried to copy his predecessor with long daily TV appearances, using popular language and anti-imperialist rhetoric. In a sign of his changing image, the president's campaign slogan this year was "Everyone with Maduro, loyalty and the future." In 2013, it was "Chavez forever, Maduro president."

Source: Bangkok Post May 21, 2018 06:11 UTC