CARACAS: President Nicolás Maduro has cemented formal control over all major institutions of power in Venezuela with authorities reporting Monday that his political alliance easily won a majority in congress.
Yet he remains a pariah to much of the world following an election that critics called deeply undemocratic.
Maduro’s domestic adversaries, however, are also scrambling to assert their own relevance after boycotting elections for the National Assembly that has been their stronghold for five years.
Opposition groups led by Juan Guaidó launched a risky referendum on Monday, betting some of their prestige on hopes they hope can reignite a campaign to oust Maduro in a nation suffering unprecedented economic and political crises that have spurred millions to flee abroad.
And both sides are waiting to see what happens in Washington as President-elect Joe Biden takes office next month, replacing a Trump administration that piled sanctions atop criminal charges atop embargoes in so-far unsuccessful attempts to drive Maduro from power.
While Biden has referred to Maduro as “a dictator,” he and aides have made few detailed statements about how they will approach the crisis in Venezuela.
“Both the Guaidó interim government and the de facto Maduro regime have failed to deliver on their promises and produce results,” said Michael Shifter, president of the Washington-based Inter-American Dialogue. “The distrust is almost total, and with good reason.”
Just 31 percent of Venezuelans eligible voters voted Sunday, according to Venezuelan electoral officials loyal to Maduro.
Authorities said that his United Socialist Party of Venezuela and allied parties captured more than 67 percent of votes for seats in the National Assembly. Turnout for the previous congressional election in 2015 was more than double that percentage.
The number of overall seats won was not immediately clear.