CIUDAD GUYANA, Venezuela — Julio Romero emerged from the flag-waving crowd as President Nicolás Maduro stood smiling on a stage, dancing to an election jingle.

Mr. Romero, 42, was in no mood to celebrate. He clutched the colostomy bag he has used since he was shot last September, when armed men stole his taxi and any chance he had of making a living. Though he had managed to attend the rally, Mr. Romero did not consider himself a supporter of the president.

He had come in search of food.

“I came here because I thought they would give me something to eat,” said Mr. Romero, referring to the handouts often seen at government rallies.

Venezuela was once a country whose governing party used elections to speak about transforming society in revolutionary terms. It built homes and clinics and schools for the poor. Its ideas spread throughout the region, influencing leftist leaders throughout Latin America for more than a decade.