Five Crazy Steps to Winning a Venezuelan Election

To Americans and other foreign observers, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro may appear to be losing his grasp on reality. How else to explain his recent plan to defend against enemy attacks by installing anti-aircraft weapons in the slums around Caracas, or his insistence that workers in a subway tunnel saw the face of former strongman Hugo Chavez?

But if one takes a deeper look at what is happening in the run-up to nationwide municipal elections on Dec. 8, these bizarre incidents are part of the president's campaign plan to make sure his party wins most municipalities, despite his weak mandate.