Contesting Autocracy: Repression and Opposition Coordination in Venezuela

Opposition coordination varies widely in electoral autocracies. Sometimes, opposition parties are highly coordinated and create alliances, present joint candidates or common policy platforms. Yet, at other times, oppositions choose to challenge incumbents individually. This article seeks explain what drives coordinate non-democratic regimes. It finds that opponents’ decision-making strategy formation is influenced by the amount of repression they face from incumbent regime. argues has a curvilinear relationship with coordination. When low high, will be informal clandestine. However, when intermediate levels, formally dislodge authoritarian incumbents. illustrates this argument through an analysis Venezuelan under Chavismo (1999–2018), combining 129 interviews party elites, journalists, academics, regime defectors, along archival research key historical moments.