Venezuela’s Maduro marks a decade in power: Can civil society weather more?

Ten years ago, Venezuela underwent a seismic shift with the death of President Hugo Chávez. His hand-picked successor, Nicolás Maduro, has successfully held on to power, despite the tanking economy, jaw-dropping inflation, and international sanctions over human rights violations that have defined the past decade in Venezuela.

Mr. Maduro, a former bus driver and union organizer who lacks the charisma of his predecessor, has endured in large part by leaning into repressing and censoring opponents, experts say. Now his government is pushing a proposal that could shutter the remaining vestiges of democratic society in the lead-up to a 2024 presidential vote.

The proposed law, which passed the first of two rounds in the National Assembly in late January, targets nongovernmental organizations and independent media outlets. Despite serious threats, in places like Nicaragua and Cuba, to providing support for Venezuelans from outside the country’s borders, to using nontraditional methods like songs to disseminate vital information to the public, civil society is adapting and sending a message to the Maduro government that they won’t go quietly.