Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro. March 6, 2017. Xinhua/SIPA USA/PA Images. All rights reserved.
2016 was an eventful year for Maduro’s presidency and his opposition. In January, the Democratic Unity Table (MUD), which brings together 11 opposition parties, took control of the National Assembly, after winning parliamentary elections in December 2015. The sharing of power between current president Maduro’s United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV), and the opposition resulted in political deadlock. By February, the MUD had already initiated a petition to call for a recall referendum against Maduro.
Public support for the referendum was visible in several large protests organised against the regime. These protests were met with arrests and detention of opposition activists. Later, in September, over 170 people were arrested during a protest in Caracas, again calling for the referendum to remove Maduro to be held before the end of the year. It didn’t happen.
