As Venezuela emerged from the deepest economic slump in modern history, its authoritarian president, Nicolas Maduro seemed willing to take his chances on a new, open election. Against the odds, a credible opposition candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez, was allowed to run, as Maduro sought to convince the international community that he was respecting democratic principles.
Instead, those principles were flouted openly, leaving Venezuela more isolated than ever as even regional allies distanced themselves. Maduro declared July 29 that he’d won a third six-year term. But the opposition released detailed results from a majority of polling stations indicating Gonzalez took nearly 70% of the vote, nearly twice Maduro’s share.