A former spy chief under the late Hugo Chavez is emerging as a political player in turbulent Venezuela, mistrusted by the opposition and despised by the government as he travels the country in a possible bid for the presidency.
Nicolas Rivero Pina is a long shot who hopes to offer a third way for Venezuelans weary of the country’s violence and economic woes.
He is reviled among President Nicolas Maduro’s opponents for leading a crackdown on anti-government protesters in 2014. But Rivero Pina has also alienated government loyalists with his sharp criticism of the socialist administration.