The election took place 17 years to the day after Mr. Chávez was first elected president — and for virtually all of that time, Mr. Chávez, his allies or his political heirs controlled the National Assembly. Mr. Maduro was elected in 2013 after Mr. Chávez died. He has vowed to continue the socialist-inspired policies of his mentor, Mr. Chávez, and has struggled to address triple-digit inflation, a two-year recession and other economic challenges. Venezuela depends heavily on income from oil production, and the sharp drop in petroleum prices has starved the government of money.
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