In March 2013, Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez passed away after a bout with cancer. Venezuela had a long history of democracy prior to his election in 1998, but Chavez eroded many of the country’s democratic institutions while in office.1 During his time in power, Chavez expanded the powers of the president considerably and extended the president’s term in office, all while holding semi-competitive elections on a regular basis. His actions effectively transformed the Venezuelan political system into an anocracy: though the country was no longer democratic, it was not fully autocratic either. Largely due to the centrality of Chavez to Venezuelan politics, his passing sparked a flurry of media commentary surrounding the country’s future. Chavez’s named successor, former vice president Nicolas Maduro, was elected president in April 2013, amid heavy criticism by members of the opposition. The consensus among observers, however, is that the likelihood of democratization in Venezuela is higher than it has been for many years.