Hugo Chavez's successor Nicolas Maduro is the new president of Venezueala, but only by the slimmest of margins. Maduro won with a mere 50.8% of the vote – the closest poll that country has seen in 45 years. His opponent Henrique Capriles is alleging voter fraud and has demanded a recount, but the Venezuelan Congress is opposing it. While that plays out, preserving the Chavez status quo is important for Belize and other countries in the region that have benefited from Chavissmo initiatives such as Petrocaribe, Housing Grants and Mission Milagro.