Amid a severe economic crisis, opinion polls show that support for Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his party is collapsing. In response, electoral authorities have shelved or delayed elections large and small.

Under a treaty signed last year, about 7,000 battle-hardened rebels of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, have agreed to disarm by May 31, but along the way, there have been numerous glitches and embarrassments for the government.

Opposition leaders have temporarily halted their campaign of street marches and legislative action to force out Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and are giving Vatican-mediated talks a chance. Yet the decision has angered some activists who fear Maduros true goal in the negotiations is to derail the protest movement.