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This unaltered story was originally published at ProPublica.org. [1]
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Venezuelans Elect Maduro to Succeed Chávez
Author Name, ProPublica
2013-04-15 00:00:00
Just as Mr. Chávez did, Mr. Maduro sought to exploit the bitter divide between loyalists and opponents.
“The country is going to be more polarized, divided into two parts,” said Rafael Huizi Clavier, a retired vice admiral who supported Mr. Capriles. “There is more confrontation, because the campaign has been very hard and the differences have been exacerbated. There is more antagonism between the two sides.”
The new president will face a host of challenges as he serves out the rest of Mr. Chavez’s term, which began in January. The economy suffers from high inflation — just over 20 percent last year — and from chronic shortages of many basic foods, medicines and other goods. Many economists predict that economic growth will slow significantly this year and some say the nation could slip into recession.
The government-owned oil monopoly, Petróleos de Venezuela, is a crucial source of government revenue, but it has been struggling with stagnant production and problems at its refineries. The country’s electrical grid is plagued by blackouts, which are frequent in many areas of the country outside Caracas.
And violent crime is rampant. As recently as Thursday, four people were shot to death in three separate incidents at a sprawling election rally for Mr. Maduro in Caracas, according to local news media accounts.
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