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Latin American Program in the News: Venezuelan Election's Winged Endorsement

Cindy Arnson

Director Cynthia J. Arnson remarks on the use of references to Chávez by Maduro as a way to shore up support for himself and validate his own legitimacy within chavismo.

The birdsong, typically responded to by ecstatic crowds with whistling of their own, underscores the candidate's reliance on the memory of Mr. Chavez, who died Mar. 5 from cancer after dominating this oil-rich country for 14 years, to carry Mr. Maduro to victory in Sunday's poll over his challenger Henrique Capriles, an opposition governor.

"The only thing that makes sense for Maduro is to invoke Chavez's spirit," said Cynthia Arnson, director of the Wilson Center's Latin American program. "[Maduro] is not a person that has a broad following or a strong emotional connection with poor Venezuelans. The strategy is obviously to capitalize on the adoration within the Chavista base."

During Mr. Maduro's campaign stops, he describes himself as the late leader's "son." In the background, giant screens replay clips of the late comandante when he announced last December that he wanted Mr. Maduro to be his successor. During a recent stop, the former foreign minister told the crowd that he could sum up his policies with one word: Chavez.

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About the Author

Cindy Arnson

Cynthia J. Arnson

Distinguished Fellow, Latin America Program
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Latin America Program

The Wilson Center’s prestigious Latin America Program provides non-partisan expertise to a broad community of decision makers in the United States and Latin America on critical policy issues facing the Hemisphere. The Program provides insightful and actionable research for policymakers, private sector leaders, journalists, and public intellectuals in the United States and Latin America. To bridge the gap between scholarship and policy action, it fosters new inquiry, sponsors high-level public and private meetings among multiple stakeholders, and explores policy options to improve outcomes for citizens throughout the Americas. Drawing on the Wilson Center’s strength as the nation’s key non-partisan policy forum, the Program serves as a trusted source of analysis and a vital point of contact between the worlds of scholarship and action.  Read more

Latin America Program

The Wilson Center’s prestigious Latin America Program provides non-partisan expertise to a broad community of decision makers in the United States and Latin America on critical policy issues facing the Hemisphere. The Program provides insightful and actionable research for policymakers, private sector leaders, journalists, and public intellectuals in the United States and Latin America. To bridge the gap between scholarship and policy action, it fosters new inquiry, sponsors high-level public and private meetings among multiple stakeholders, and explores policy options to improve outcomes for citizens throughout the Americas. Drawing on the Wilson Center’s strength as the nation’s key non-partisan policy forum, the Program serves as a trusted source of analysis and a vital point of contact between the worlds of scholarship and action.  Read more