The ‘Anthropological Change’ Happening in Venezuela

Frida Ghitis : Venezuela 's democratic opposition set out to choose, jointly, someone who could challenge Nicolás Maduro , the country’s autocratic president, in an election that was sure to be violent and unfair.

She says María Corina Machado and her colleagues trained more than 1 million volunteers to protect the election itself.

Ghitis says Machado is optimistic that the campaign and aftermath altered Venezuela 's political landscape.

Julian Zelizer : Machado 's team built movement for one candidate or election, but a movement for permanent change.

He says the scale of their achievement would be notable in a liberal democracy, but in an authoritarian state, this project is remarkable.

Zelizer says Maduro has become more brutal, more cruel, and more vindictive over time.

The next president of Venezuela is due to be inaugurated on January 10 .

Machado says the opposition groups have a plan, if they win, to “transform completely—completely—the relationship we had between citizens and the state. We’ve only known the state deciding for us. Now it’s going to be the other way around.” Machado believes it, and thinks a majority of Venezuelans do too.

This is the opposite of populism: Instead of giving people easy solutions, Machado talks about complex problems.