Roundup: Venezuela's Maduro finishes half term, faces tumbling support

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro completed half of his six-year term on Tuesday, overseeing a divided nation with millions of supporters alongside a growing number of critics angry about a bad economy.

After winning elections in April 2013, Maduro succeeded his deceased mentor, Hugo Chavez, and has since then has faced a great number of domestic and international political challenges.

"Maduro's greatest challenge has arguably been to lead after the death of Hugo Chavez, as he is constantly compared to his mysterious and charismatic predecessor," sociologist Maryclein Stelling told Xinhua.

From the moment of his inauguration, he has also faced campaigns against him by opponents, who have seized on his humble origins, such as having been a bus driver, to ridicule him.

After defeating Henrique Capriles in the 2013 presidential race by a narrow margin of 50.61 percent against 49.12 percent, Maduro accused the opposition Democratic Unity Roundtable (MUD) of seeking to ignore the results, by organizing massive street protests, leaving 11 people dead and 80 wounded.

He also vowed to fight back "an economic war," accusing right-wing groups and international forces of perpetrating it to weaken his government.

"We saw the start of an economic war using U.S. dollars. Venezuela began to see international embargoes on goods like food and drugs. This has been a very long and difficult process for Maduro to face," said Alexis Bolivar, a left-wing political activist.

In early 2014, more violent protests allegedly organized by the leader of the opposition Popular Will party, Leopoldo Lopez, took place.

The Supreme Court, which has been accused of being too close to Maduro, began a series of investigations on the protests, resulting in the arrest of Lopez, who was sentenced to over 13 years in prison.

Maduro was lambasted over the case, both inside and outside Venezuela, for having violated human rights.

"2014 was a difficult year, which tested the character of the Venezuelan people," admitted Maduro in a speech in early 2015.

The year of 2015, on the other hand, was marked by a massive economic crisis, with recession blighting the country, gasoline prices falling, black market prices throwing off the economy, and inflation impacting salaries.

This has worsened Maduro's standing, as his government was seen as failing to provide concrete responses to these problems, tumbling the president's approval ratings.

On Dec. 6, 2015, parliamentary elections led to a sweeping victory for the MUD coalition, which took 56.2 percent of votes and won a super majority of 112 seats against 55 for Maduro's Great Patriotic Pole coalition.

In 2016, analysts expect a reckoning between Maduro and his enemies in the National Assembly. The opposition is seeking a referendum on cutting the president's six-year term short, while Maduro vows to hold on to power and continue the country's socialist "revolution."

In an effort to regain his popular support, Maduro has also suggested that Venezuela should end its heavy reliance on oil and encourage the export of ready-made products. Endi