Nicolás Maduro has survived an almost impossible litany of threats since becoming the late Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez's political heir in 2013. They range from a drone attack and mass protests to international criminal investigations for human rights abuses and drug trafficking. But Sunday’s election in which he is seeking a third term amid widespread economic deprivation has emerged as his toughest challenge yet. His upbringing in a working class barrio of Caracas and studies in communist Cuba have all contributed to his political formation.
