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Venezuelan protesters failed last year to force President Maduro to step down in the midst of an economic and humanitarian crisis. After his emphatic victory in Sunday presidential elections, they have to according to the election commission. Potential challengers to Mr. Maduro, Hugo and successor, are either in detention or barred from the contest after they organised mass protests against his government, alleging brutal misrule and economic mismanagement. An umbrella coalition of opposition parties and activist groups, the Broad Front for a Free Venezuela, had called on the people to boycott what they said was as a sham exercise. Mr. Maduro closest rival, Henri Falcon, alleged fraud and demanded a fresh ballot. It is highly unlikely that demands for a re-poll will be countenanced by the Maduro regime. But it is clear that the shrinking democratic space has exerted a toll on the polity overall. The Venezuelan health system has all but collapsed. A Minister who expressed concern over the high incidence of certain diseases that were believed to have been eradicated was sacked promptly last year. The collapse of the medical system is particularly shocking, given the emphasis on health care in Chavez commodity-driven growth model. Inflation has hit and the economy is set to contract further. It is hard to believe that Venezuela, with the worlds largest proven oil reserves, was considered Latin Americas wealthiest country not so long ago.
Venezuelans have been leaving the country to escape shortages of rations and the rampant unrest. The UN estimates that each day 4,000 Venezuelans are making it across to Colombia. There is talk of a concerted international response to the Venezuelan crisis after Mr. Maduros re-election, especially further sanctions by the U.S. and possibly the European Union. But there are moral and practical limits to these measures against a country that is gripped by a systemic crisis and the humanitarian costs of sanctions must not be ignored. In any case, Venezuela oil production has been falling steadily, and analysts do not expect that an embargo on its exports would have the desired impact. Mr. Maduro may be part of Venezuela problem. But he can be a big part of the solution as well. He could make a beginning by ceding democratic space for dissent both within and outside his party, and by rolling back the country confrontational foreign policy. Blaming the West alone for Venezuelas economic crisis will not get him very far.