The Latin American left is smart not to pick a side over Venezuela’s contested election result | Jordana Timerman

Attempts to get Nicolas Maduro back to the negotiating table highlight the influence of a younger generation of voters

When Nicolas Maduro was declared the winner of the Venezuelan presidential election last week, there was an immediate outcry and accusations of fraud. Maduro had trailed significantly in many polls, and the National Electoral Council (CNE) didn't provide access to voting breakdowns as it is legally required to do.

While much of the rhetoric from Maduro and opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia's supporters has been heated, left-leaning governments in the region haven't come down on either side - despite many longstanding connections with Maduro's administration. This is a marked shift within the remnants of the pink tide" of leftist governments that dominated Latin American countries in the noughties may provide a way through the crisis, and achieve a democratic transition in Venezuela.