For Chávez's Successor, Venezuela's Economy Looms Large

Hugo Chávez died without completing his Bolivarian revolution—a vaguely defined utopia where workers ruled, the state was ever-generous, and the landowners and industrialists were in permanent retreat. Instead, Venezuela faces political infighting and the risk of unrest after the death of Chávez, who leaves behind a polarized society, a high homicide rate, and an economy in need of help.

The former paratrooper’s demise after 14 years as president opens up a void, even though the cancer-stricken leader urged supporters to elect Vice President Nicolás Maduro to succeed him. “He dominated politics so thoroughly that it is impossible to forecast what comes next,” says Peter Hakim, former president of the Inter-American Dialogue in Washington. “He was the commanding political presence, virtually the only governing authority in the country.”