The “Scorpion” Opposition

co-optation and Fragmentation of the Venezuelan Opposition in the Gubernatorial Election (2021)

Abstract

The aim of this article is to examine the strategies of co-optation and fragmentation employed by the government of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro against the Venezuelan opposition, and to assess their electoral impacts. While co-optation is not a novel tactic and is characteristic of electoral authoritarian regimes like Venezuela, it has gained prominence in that country in recent years due to the emergence of a faction of co-opted opposition, colloquially known as "alacranes" (scorpions). The involvement of this co-opted opposition provides insights into how the Venezuelan government, despite its low popularity ratings, manages to secure electoral victories. This study analyzes the 2021 gubernatorial elections in Venezuela to investigate the electoral effects of the co-opted opposition. The findings reveal a statistically significant correlation between the decline in votes for the traditional opposition (referred to as MUD) and the presence of the co-opted opposition ("scorpions").