The recent Inter-American Court of Human Rights ruling ordering Venezuela to stop trying to block a leading opposition candidate from challenging President Hugo Chávez in upcoming elections has breathed fresh life into the field of candidates seeking to unseat the Venezuelan leader.
The ruling, met by brazen criticism from Chávez, paves the way for Leopoldo López Mendoza, the 40-year-old former mayor of a wealthy Caracas suburb, to run in primary elections slated for next February.
More importantly, according to Christopher Sabatini, senior director of policy at the Americas Society and Council of the Americas, the ruling sets the stage for Venezuela's ailing opposition to deliver what is likely to be the most momentous electoral challenge to Chávez since he came to power 12 years ago.