Caracas Chronicles

I discuss the Aporrea-roots reaction, among other things, over at Foreign Policy’s Transitions blog,

One commentator in the widely read pro-Chávez forum Aporrea criticized the selection of Maduro, claiming the vice-president is not radical enough and is a lover of the bourgeois lifestyle. Another called for taking Chávez’s absence as an opportunity for further debate within chavista structures. The very same forum showed that chavistasare split, with some criticizing that Maduro is unpopular with the base supporters, while others argued that the will of the President should be respected and trusted in this emergency. One prominent academic close to the chavista movement acknowledged that nobody could match Chavez’s unique leadership qualities, but that the faithful should cast doubts aside and assume the choice of Maduro as legitimate.