Murder and Political Violence on the Eve of Venezuelan Elections

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As Venezuelans prepared for watershed parliamentary elections on December 6, 2015, events took an ominous turn with the murder of an opposition political leader and activist.   Luis Manuel Díaz, a local leader of the opposition Acción Democrática (AD) party, was shot and killed at a campaign event in the town of Altagracia de Orituco in central Venezuela on November 25.  The opposition and some international observers blame the killing on the ruling Partido Socialista Unido de Venezuela (PSUV), which adamantly denies any connection to the murder.  Present on stage when Díaz was killed was Lilian Tintori, the wife of Leopoldo López, the most high-profile government opponent serving a lengthy prison sentence for allegedly inciting violent riots and protests.  Many observers believe that Tintori may have been the actual target of the attack, and point to increasing levels of violence and fear, while the government of President Nicolás Maduro says the murder was a “gang” killing unrelated to politics.  The general belief among political professionals is that the opposition is likely to win big in the election, though what that means is uncertain.