19-10-2017: Latin American Weekly Report

The blistering victory of the ruling Partido Socialista Unido de Venezuela (PSUV) in regional elections on 15 October came as little surprise to most – with the exception of the stunned opposition Mesa de la Unidad Democrática (MUD) coalition, which took a full day to respond, and then only feebly. The MUD in its current form looks to be in its final throes. Its refusal to accept the election results and acknowledge the all-powerful new constituent assembly means it has been completely marginalised from domestic politics as currently constituted. It has also effectively ruled itself out of any further participation in externally mediated dialogue efforts.