CARACAS: In January, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro claimed a major victory: congress lawmakers elected his favored candidate as National Assembly leader, putting the increasingly authoritarian nation’s last independent institution within his grasp. Opponents cried foul, accusing the Venezuelan leader of intimidating and attempting to bribe lawmakers to oust Maduro’s arch-rival, opposition head Juan Guaido, in the Jan. 5 vote. An examination by media of the circumstances surrounding the vote shows there was evidence to support their accusations.
