Anti-chavista leaders
became all the more popular, and leftist candidates began to disavow
ties to chavismo. Furthermore, a number of Latin American notables, including
five former Latin American presidents, have criticized Maduro’s
2014–15 crackdown. In sum, Venezuela’s effort to mold clone regimes
has had mixed results at best, but its attempt to create an alliance of tolerance has been a major success, enabling Chávez to rule more autocratically
without having to face much international criticism.