Venezuela: New beginnings or more of the same?

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is claiming victory in the election for a new constitutional superbody, which he says will help to save the country from political and economic disaster.

Opponents at home and abroad describe the vote as a naked power grab that will only escalate the paralysing conflicts.

Election organisers say more than eight million voters turned out – more than double the estimates of government critics.

With further protests and sanctions threatened, are there more dark days ahead for a country already torn apart by political and economic strife?

Presenter: Martine Dennis

Guests:

Teresa Albanes – opposition coalition member.

Francisco Dominguez – Head of Latin American Studies, Middlesex University.

Jennifer McCoy – Professor of Political Science at Georgia State University and author of The Unraveling of Representative Democracy in Venezuela.