After nearly 15 years in power, Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez died on 5 March 2013. According to his wishes, his then Vice-President, Nicolás Maduro, was sworn in as ‘President in charge’, and went on to win the presidential elections held on 14 April 2013 by a narrow margin against the opposition MUD candidate, Henrique Capriles. In response to government measures to control the exchange rate, food shortages and rising public insecurity, opposition-led protests against the government soon began on 4 February 2014, and by the middle of that month had reached their peak, resulting in deaths, injured citizens, and looting. As a result, some opposition leaders, such as Táchira state governor, Leopoldo López, and Caracas mayor, Antonio Ledezma, were imprisoned. Demonstrations ended in May 2014, under police and political pressure from the government, but tensions between the latter and the MUD have since been on the rise, with new intermittent street protests.
Be the first to write a comment.