Maduro has responded to his unpopularity by consolidating power further and repressing the people. He has imprisoned and exiled political opponents, run unfree and unfair elections, and violently suppressed protests. Furthermore, he created a Constituent Assembly to replace the National Assembly once it became controlled by the opposition and has utilized a stacked Supreme Court to approve his decisions. 

Full-blown Authoritarianism and Repression Under Maduro

Maduro called a presidential election in 2018 that did not include all parties, and won in an election with a high abstention rate. The opposition has not considered the results of this election to be legitimate, and President of the National Assembly Juan Guaidó has declared himself to be the legitimate President of Venezuela. Although Guaidó’s attempted coup of the government failed and Maduro remains the de facto president, there is still the question of who the legitimate leader of Venezuela is, which has sparked much international debate and exacerbated instability within the country. 

The Presidential Crisis in Venezuela (2019-present)

Maduro developed Venezuela into a brutally repressive dictatorship in the face of his dwindling popularity.

Wesleyan University

Maduro exacerbated Chávez’s authoritarian policies and allowed the Venezuelan economy to collapse in recent years.

Political and Economic Problems Under Maduro (2013 to present)

Political Problems Under Maduro

The Venezuelan economy has fallen apart under Maduro, who has continued to rely on oil to support the economy. Once the price of oil fell along with oil production, Venezuela entered a recession. The production of non-oil sectors also fell, resulting in a scarcity of resources. Hyperinflation reached a historic high of 2.6 million percent at the beginning of 2019, and poverty drastically increased. (AV 2-4; Buxton 1372).

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