Nicolas Maduro, Hugo Chavez’s hand-picked successor, was sworn in as president of Venezuela last Friday and will now serve the rest of Chavez’s six-year term.
Maduro won the previous Sunday’s election with only 50.8 percent of the vote, raising controversy amongst Venezuelan voters and dividing the country.
Maduro’s opponent, Henrique Capriles, won a close 49 percent of the vote causing the opposition to call for a recount. Maduro firmly defends his victory.
“We have a just, legal, constitutional and popular electoral victory,” said Maduro.
“Here there is no majority,” said Capriles. “There are two halves.”
Maduro has been acting president since Chavez’s death in March, only months after Chavez himself defeated the same Capriles with 55 percent of the vote in Venezuela’s October 2012 presidential election.
In one of his last public appearances, Chavez announced his endorsement of Maduro as his successor.
“My firm opinion, as clear as the full moon –– irrevocable, absolute, total –– is … that you elect Nicolas Maduro as president,” said Chavez. “I ask this of you from my heart. He is one of the young leaders with the greatest ability to continue, if I cannot.”
Maduro has revealed his intention to follow Chavez’s plan for Venezuela and continue building twenty-first century socialism.
The leadership change has come at a difficult time for Venezuela’s economy. Inflation is expected to exceed 30 percent in the coming year, and economists predict Venezuela may be heading for a recession.
Venezuelans are struggling with food and medicine shortages as well as blackouts that have been going on for years.
Maduro has already made changes to the Venezuelan Cabinet, appointing Jesse Chacon in response to the blackouts and Nelson Merentes, former president of the central bank, to face the task of reducing inflation. Maduro has voiced plans to make Jorge Arreaza, Venezuela’s science and technology minister and son-in-law to Chavez, executive vice president.
Venezuela’s relationship with the U.S. has been especially tense in recent years.
As president, Chavez was known for his negative views of the U.S. Being Chavez’s protege, it is unclear how Maduro will proceed in international relations with the U.S.
According to The New York Times, Maduro told former New Mexico Governor and Representative of the Organization of American States Bill Richardson that he wants to improve Venezuela’s relationship with the U.S.
“The result as reported is extremely close,” said White House spokesperson Jay Carney about the election’s results. “The opposition candidate and at least one member of the electoral council have called for an audit, which … in our view, seems like an important and prudent step to take.”
Since the election, there have been widespread protests by the opposition. According to the Venezuelan government, this has resulted in eight deaths already.
In response to the controversy, there will soon be an electronic audit of 100 percent of the presidential vote. The audit is expected to take nearly one month.
“We will not let something that aims to verify whether the system worked be turned into a sort of public impeachment that tries to question the results,” said deputy head of the National Electoral Council Sandra Oblitas. “As always, when the NEC announces results to the country, it is because they are irreversible.”
“The electoral power is making this decision in order to preserve a climate of harmony between Venezuelans, but also to isolate violent sectors that are irresponsibly trying to harm democracy,” said Tibisay Lucena, president of Venezuela’s NEC.
Capriles claims satisfaction with the NEC’s plan to electronically audit the election results, expressing his larger goal of truth for the Venezuelan public.
“This fight has not finished,” Capriles said. “I am sure that sooner rather than later the truth will come out.”
