In his last televised message before dying of cancer, the late President Hugo Chávez told Venezuelans to choose Nicolás Maduro as his successor, promising that the leftist policies that oversaw a reduction in poverty would continue under the then-vice president's guidance.
That promise remains unfulfilled 10 years later. Venezuelans find themselves in a country that has largely fallen apart, as lavish government spending made possible by a historic oil boom ended, democratic norms and respect for free speech rights have eroded further and economic liberalization measures have made the rich richer and the poor poorer.
