Politics, Business & Culture in the Americas

Podcast: David Smolansky on Rebuilding Venezuela

Reading Time: < 1 minuteIn the first episode of “Deep South,” the prominent advocate for Venezuelan democracy discusses the country’s coming elections and his life in exile.
Reading Time: < 1 minute

FEDERICO PARRA/AFP/Getty Images

Reading Time: < 1 minute

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In this inaugural edition of Americas Quarterly’s podcast “Deep South,” David Smolansky explains why Venezuela’s upcoming election is a sham – and what the opposition should be doing instead. “Maduro is in a transition from authoritarianism to totalitarianism,” the 32-year-old former mayor says. Smolansky, who since going into exile in August has become one of the most prominent Venezuelans in Washington, talks about his contacts with the Trump administration and other Latin American governments that support restoring democracy. He also narrates his dramatic escape from Venezuela, pushes back against criticism of the “divided opposition,” and talks about the “weird” sensation of appearing on the cover of AQ’s latest issue.

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