Posted on 03/04/2019 5:42:43 PM PST by Retain Mike
Venezuela has been in a deep crisis under the authoritarian rule of President Nicolás Maduro of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV). Maduro was narrowly elected in 2013 after the death of populist President Hugo Chávez, who had served since 1999. Maduro’s regime has exhibited high levels of corruption and economic mismanagement, which have exacerbated the impact of a decline in global oil prices on the country’s economy. According to the International Monetary Fund, Venezuela’s economy contracted by 18% and inflation exceeded 1.37 million percent in 2018. Nevertheless, Maduro has used the courts, security forces, and electoral council to repress political opposition and quash dissent. According to the Venezuelan human rights organization Foro Penal, the regime held 918 political prisoners as of mid-February 2019. Most Venezuelans and much of the international community considered Maduro’s May 2018 reelection illegitimate.
Maduro did not when that election. There was voter fraud on a scale that makes the Democrats look like amateurs.
Looks like the elections office in Orange County took some pointers from him.
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