BOGOTA — One is a former union organizer and foreign minister who skipped university to pursue politics. He rose to fame as the loyal soldier of late President Hugo Chávez. The other is a governor and lawyer who spent four months in jail. He prides himself on defeating every rival he has ever faced except one: Chávez. As Venezuela barrels toward snap elections Sunday, one of these two men — Nicolás Maduro and Henrique Capriles — will be the first to occupy the seat Chávez owned for 14 years. When the socialist firebrand died March 5 after an 18-month battle with cancer, he left a nation in mourning, but also facing shortages, soaring inflation and addicted to social projects that some fear are unsustainable. Rich in oil, Venezuela is also saddled with one of the highest homicide rates in the world.
Accredited Third StatesNewsVenezuela (Bolivarian Republic)
