It was election night in Venezuela in 2013, and among the Chavista activists at the Caracas city hall, nerves were jangling as early results showed their candidate, Nicolás Maduro, trailing his charismatic rival for the presidency, Henrique Capriles.
“We were totally surprised. We never thought Capriles would come so close,” said Andrés Izarra, a former minister for Maduro’s recently deceased mentor, Hugo Chávez, who recalls overhearing a disturbing conversation between two powerful Maduro allies.
