“La crisis” in Venezuela

[longknife]

It's truly hard for those of us living here in our comfortable homes with refrigerators filled with food and medical help just a few minutes away. What would it be like to turn your pets into food or to hunt down strays in the streets? An oil rich country where there is no gasoline and pumps are still. Where the military controls the food supplies, feeding themselves and their superiors first while the “plebes” suffer and starve.

All in the name of a socialist dictatorship.

The economic horror in Venezuela continues to unfold — the Bolivarian socialists have achieved the entirely remarkable feat of making Cubans flee the country in search of a better life. Seriously,

Cubans, from a poverty stricken socialist dictatorship are now leaving an oil rich nation in search of a better life. It takes a serious level of economic mismanagement to achieve that. That serious level being exactly the one thing that Venezuela has lots of, of course.

Read more of this sad story @ “La crisis” in Venezuela | Babalú Blog

 

[waltky]

Venezuelan court attempts coup of gov't....

Venezuelan authorities try to defuse court row 'coup', urge review
Sat Apr 1, 2017 | Venezuelan authorities called on the Supreme Court on Saturday to review its decision this week to annul the opposition-led congress, which critics have decried as a "coup" and a lurch into dictatorship.

President Nicolas Maduro said in an address on state television in the early hours of the morning that the conflict between the Supreme Court and National Assembly had been overcome, but gave no details. Maduro, flanked by senior officials, introduced his Vice President Tareck El Aissami. "(We) urge the Supreme Court to review the decisions ... in order to maintain institutional stability and the balance of powers," El Aissami said. The court's move to assume Congress' responsibilities has sparked international condemnation and protests across Caracas.

Opposition supporters clash with riot police in front of a courthouse in Caracas, Venezuela March 31, 2017.[/cenetr]

In a rare show of dissent from a senior official, Venezuela's powerful attorney general Luisa Ortega, long an ally of Maduro, rebuked the court on Friday. "It constitutes a rupture of the constitutional order," the 59-year-old said in a speech on state television. "It's my obligation to express my great concern to the country." The pro-Maduro Supreme Court said on Wednesday it was taking over the legislature's role because it was in "contempt" of the law. It has shot down most of the National Assembly's measures since the opposition won control in 2015.

PROTESTS, CONDEMNATION

The country's disparate opposition called for protests on Saturday. However, after years of failure on the streets, it is unlikely these will develop into the wave of anti-Maduro unrest seen in 2014. Maduro, 54, a former bus driver and self-declared "son" of late leftist predecessor Hugo Chavez, was narrowly elected president in 2013. His ratings have plummeted as Venezuelans struggle with a fourth year of recession, scarcities of food and medicines and what is thought to be the world's highest inflation. Critics blame a failing socialist system, whereas the government says its enemies are waging an "economic war". The fall in oil prices since mid-2014 has exacerbated the crisis.

Pro-government supporters clash with opposition supporters during a protest against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's government outside the Venezuelan Prosecutor's office in Caracas, Venezuela​

The Supreme Court's power grab brought condemnations and concern from the United States, Organization of American States (OAS), European Union, United Nations and major Latin American nations. Ally Russia bucked the trend, urging the world to leave Venezuela alone. Maduro accuses Washington of leading a push to topple him as part of a wider offensive against leftists in Latin America. OAS head Luis Almagro, whom the Venezuelan government views as a pawn of Washington, has been pushing for its suspension from the 34-nation regional bloc, which has announced an extraordinary meeting for Monday to debate Venezuela.

Venezuelan authorities try to defuse court row 'coup', urge review​

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[waltky]

Venezuelan Supreme Court backs down...

Venezuela: Supreme court backtracks on powers bid
Sat, 01 Apr 2017 - The supreme court's move to assume legislative powers led to days of anti-government protests.

The Venezuelan supreme court has reversed its ruling to strip congress of its legislative powers. It made the decision after the government of President Nicolas Maduro urged it to review the ruling "to maintain institutional stability". The initial decision - announced on Wednesday - had been denounced as a "coup" by the opposition, which dominates the National Assembly. Anti-government protesters have staged daily protests against the move. The supreme court announced the reversal on its website. A day earlier, chief prosecutor Luisa Ortega, an ally of President Nicolas Maduro, became the first high-ranking official to criticise the judges.

The court's original ruling had sparked new protests against the government​

Speaking live on TV, she expressed "great concern" about a measure which, she said, violated the constitution. Promising dialogue to end the crisis, Mr Maduro had convened a late-night meeting of the state security council. Afterwards Vice-President Tareck El Aissami said: "We urge the supreme court to review the decisions... in order to maintain institutional stability and the balance of powers." Mr Maduro said: "This controversy has been overcome, showing the power of dialogue."

How did the dispute start?

In its original ruling, the supreme court had annulled the powers of the assembly, allowing the judges to write laws. The court had accused lawmakers of "contempt" after allegations of irregularities by three opposition lawmakers during the 2015 elections. The court has backed the leftist president in his ongoing struggles with the legislature. On Tuesday it removed parliamentary immunity from the assembly's members. There has been widespread international condemnation, with the Organisation of American States talking of the "final blow to democracy" in Venezuela.

Why the reversal? By Will Grant, BBC News, Havana

It seems that a combination of internal and external pressures forced President Maduro's hand. Inside Venezuela, the opposition's outcry was to be expected. However the sight of the normally loyal Attorney General, Luisa Ortega, openly criticising the move as unconstitutional was for many observers a turning point, and perhaps evidence of a wider split within "Chavismo". Externally too, the response was very robust. The Organisation of American States held an emergency meeting in which staunch allies of Venezuela, such as Cuba, lent their support to Mr Maduro. However, Colombia, Mexico, Argentina, Brazil and others called for cooler heads to prevail and for a return to the democratic order. In the end, it seems President Maduro may have decided that the supreme court's move was a step too far politically and hoped to avoid a repeat of the massive street protests which have led to violence in the past.

The opposition says Mr Maduro is turning Venezuela into a dictatorship​

Perhaps even the election this weekend in Ecuador played a role. The race in the Andean nation is very tight and it can't have helped President Rafael Correa, as a close friend to Venezuela, to have to support a move that was being billed by some as a "self-coup" in the days before a presidential election. Tensions have been high in Venezuela because the country has been engulfed in a severe economic crisis. It has the world's highest inflation rate, which the International Monetary Fund predicts could reach 1,660% next year. Long queues, power cuts and shortages of basic goods are common. The government and opposition blame each other for the country's problems, made worse by the falling price of oil, Venezuela's main export product. President Maduro has become increasingly unpopular and the opposition has called for his removal.

Venezuela: Supreme court backtracks on powers bid - BBC News

 

[waltky]

4 demonstrators killed in violent Venezuela protests...

Four killed in violent Venezuela protests
Thu, May 18, 2017 - Business owners shuttered shops, a burned police station stood charred and a state officer in western Venezuela was under arrest on Tuesday following a spasm of violence that resulted in at least four deaths in anti-government protests.

An especially grisly 24 hours of turmoil coming after nearly two months of political unrest had nervous residents staying indoors in restive cities such as San Cristobal near the border with Colombia. Authorities announced on Tuesday that four men ranging in age from 17 to 33 had died from gunshot wounds at separate protests over the preceding day. Diego Hernandez, 33, and Luis Alviarez, 18, were killed in Tachira, while Yeison Mora Castillo, 17, died near a protest farther east in the state of Barinas on Monday. Diego Arellano, 31, died during surgery on Tuesday after being shot at a demonstration south of Caracas. Friends and relatives of Arellano gathered outside the clinic where he died and sang the national anthem as his body was removed from the facility.

Protesters prepare to fire a homemade missile during a protest against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s government in Palmira, Venezuela​

The nation’s chief prosecutor said it was charging a 27-year-old state police officer in Hernandez’s death, whose final moments were purportedly captured in a video circulating on social media. The footage showed a bystander ripping open Hernandez’s blue T-shirt as he lay lifeless on the pavement, his eyes open and fixed, revealing a bloody wound underneath. “They killed him,” someone screams in the video. The weeks of protests were set off by the government’s move to nullify the opposition-controlled Congress in late March, but demonstrations have escalated into a vehicle for airing grievances against the government for triple-digit inflation, food shortages and a rise in crime.

The flare-up of violence outside Venezuela’s capital this week added to a grim and growing list of casualties from the unrest. More than three dozen people have died, most of them young men shot at protests or killed during looting. Hundreds more have been injured in near-daily demonstrations by the opposition that frequently end with state security forces unleashing tear gas, water cannon and rubber bullets at protesters.

Arrests have been made in seven homicides. In four of those cases, state or national police officers have been charged. Civilians were charged in three other cases, but no details released on their motives. The opposition blames the bloodshed on state security forces using excessive force and on groups of armed, pro-government civilians known as colectivos. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro says far-right extremists are working with criminal gangs to foment the violence.

Four killed in violent Venezuela protests - Taipei Times

 

[Bleipriester]

4 demonstrators killed in violent Venezuela protests...

Four killed in violent Venezuela protests
Thu, May 18, 2017 - Business owners shuttered shops, a burned police station stood charred and a state officer in western Venezuela was under arrest on Tuesday following a spasm of violence that resulted in at least four deaths in anti-government protests.

An especially grisly 24 hours of turmoil coming after nearly two months of political unrest had nervous residents staying indoors in restive cities such as San Cristobal near the border with Colombia. Authorities announced on Tuesday that four men ranging in age from 17 to 33 had died from gunshot wounds at separate protests over the preceding day. Diego Hernandez, 33, and Luis Alviarez, 18, were killed in Tachira, while Yeison Mora Castillo, 17, died near a protest farther east in the state of Barinas on Monday. Diego Arellano, 31, died during surgery on Tuesday after being shot at a demonstration south of Caracas. Friends and relatives of Arellano gathered outside the clinic where he died and sang the national anthem as his body was removed from the facility.

Protesters prepare to fire a homemade missile during a protest against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s government in Palmira, Venezuela​

The nation’s chief prosecutor said it was charging a 27-year-old state police officer in Hernandez’s death, whose final moments were purportedly captured in a video circulating on social media. The footage showed a bystander ripping open Hernandez’s blue T-shirt as he lay lifeless on the pavement, his eyes open and fixed, revealing a bloody wound underneath. “They killed him,” someone screams in the video. The weeks of protests were set off by the government’s move to nullify the opposition-controlled Congress in late March, but demonstrations have escalated into a vehicle for airing grievances against the government for triple-digit inflation, food shortages and a rise in crime.

The flare-up of violence outside Venezuela’s capital this week added to a grim and growing list of casualties from the unrest. More than three dozen people have died, most of them young men shot at protests or killed during looting. Hundreds more have been injured in near-daily demonstrations by the opposition that frequently end with state security forces unleashing tear gas, water cannon and rubber bullets at protesters.

Arrests have been made in seven homicides. In four of those cases, state or national police officers have been charged. Civilians were charged in three other cases, but no details released on their motives. The opposition blames the bloodshed on state security forces using excessive force and on groups of armed, pro-government civilians known as colectivos. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro says far-right extremists are working with criminal gangs to foment the violence.

Four killed in violent Venezuela protests - Taipei Times

All deaths and regarding information here:
In Detail: The Deaths So Far

 

[longknife]

It's getting worse daily. Can the poor, starving people outlast the well-armed, well-fed government supporters?

 

[waltky]

Venezuelan protests go into 50th day...

Venezuelans shut down capital roads to protest government
May 20,`17 -- Masses of protesters with white shirts, homemade gas masks and flags draped around their shoulders shut down a main road in the Venezuelan capital on Saturday in a continuation of near-daily street protests.

Soldiers shut down access to the center of the city and officials closed at least 10 metro stations in anticipation of Saturday's protest. State security forces have consistently prevented protesters from reaching the city center, home to the presidential palace, Supreme Court, and electoral authority. The political unrest has left at least 46 people dead.

A protester tries to flee government security forces during a demonstration by opponents of President Nicolas Maduro who gathered to block a major highway in Caracas, Venezuela, Saturday, May 20, 2017. Tens of thousands of demonstrators took to the streets again in what has been two months of near-daily street protests. Demonstrators are demanding new elections and blaming Maduro for the nation's triple-digit inflation, rising crimes and vast food shortages​

President Nicolas Maduro, meanwhile, has been posting videos of himself driving with windows rolled down through various neighborhoods at night as he talks about restoring peace to the country. On Friday night, he drove past a plaza in the eastern part of the city that has become the epicenter of the opposition movement and noted how quiet the streets were. "Look at how peaceful it is here. We're defeating the barricade-builders and violence-bringers," he said.

News from The Associated Press

See also:

Big March Marks 50th Day of Protests in Venezuela Against Maduro's Government
May 20, 2017 - Tens of thousands of people marched Saturday in the Venezuelan capital and elsewhere in the restive country, facing police tear gas as they protested against the socialist government of President Nicolas Maduro.

Saturday's protests marked the 50th straight day of anti-government street demonstrations, some of which have been accompanied by disorder. Nearly 50 people have been killed. In Caracas, where many residents face severe shortages of such daily necessities as food, medicine and toilet paper, marchers carried signs — some reading "No More Dictatorship" and "Millions Against Dictatorship" — as they moved toward the city center. Protesters blame Maduro and his economic policies for soaring inflation and the continuing shortages. They have also demanded fresh elections and freedom for jailed protesters.

Opponents of President Nicolas Maduro wave a Venezuelan national flag as thousands gather in Caracas, Venezuela, May 20, 2017. Tens of thousands of demonstrators took to the streets again in what has been two months of near-daily street protests.​

Counterdemonstrations have also escalated since Maduro's call earlier this month for a new constitution. More than 2,000 protesters have been jailed since early April, when the demonstrations began, weeks after Maduro dissolved the National Assembly and lifted lawmakers' immunity from criminal arrest and prosecution. Activists say at least one-third of the detainees remain jailed.

Opposition supporters clash with security forces during a rally against Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro in Caracas, Venezuela​

The European Union called on the Maduro government and opposition groups this week to begin an "urgent, constructive and effective dialogue" aimed at resolving the political crisis. Ahead of Saturday's marches in Caracas and the western city of Cristobal, activists had predicted a gathering in the capital larger than that on April 19, when hundreds of thousands of marchers swept through the city. However, witnesses said the eventual turnout fell well short of last month's showing.

Big March Marks 50th Day of Protests in Venezuela Against Maduro's Government

Related:

Venezuela's Maduro to Trump: 'Get your dirty hands out of here'
May 20, 2017 -- Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has a message for President: Donald Trump: "Get your dirty hands out of here."

Maduro was referring to new sanctions Thursday by the United States and condemnation of his socialist government. The sanctions were aimed at chief judge and seven other members of the Venezuela's Supreme Court. U.S. Treasury froze any assets they might have in the United States, denied them entry into the country and prohibited U.S. citizens to do any business with them "In Venezuela, there is a dignified government and we're here on our feet. Get your hands out of here, Donald Trump, get your dirty hands out of here," Maduro said in a speech carried on television in the nation. "Donald Trump, look in the mirror, at Michel Temer of Brazil. Whoever meddles in Venezuela gets into trouble." The court annulled the opposition-led National Assembly in a series of rulings this year and took over their duties.

The Venezuelan government accused the United States of intervening into country's internal affairs and seeking to further destabilize it. "President Trump's aggressions against the Venezuelan people, its government and its institutions have surpassed all limits," the statement said. "The extreme positions of a government just starting off only confirmed the discriminatory, racist, xenophobic, and genocidal nature of U.S. elites against humanity and its own people, which has now been heightened by this new administration which asserts white Anglo-Saxon supremacy."

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro participates in a protest in Caracas on March 12, 2016. Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets in a protest against a renewed decree by President Barack Obama that lists Venezuela as a threat to US security policy and foreign policy. Last week, the United States added sanctions against Venezuela and on Saturday he told President Donald Trump to "get your dirty hands out of here."​

Maduro has cracked down on street protests and efforts to consolidate his rule. The main goal of the protests was to create "creating a mess in our society" and violently oust President Maduro instead of new elections, the head of the commission for the National Constituent Assembly Elías José Jaua Milano told RT earlier this month. The protest leaders are "not interested in taking part in the elections when the situation is politically, economically and socially stable."

At the White House on Thursday, Trump expressed dismay at how the once-booming oil-rich Venezuela was now mired in poverty, saying "it's been unbelievably poorly run" and calling the humanitarian situation "a disgrace to humanity." Trump, comments came after meeting with Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos. "People don't have enough to eat. People have no food," Trump said. "There's great violence. And we will do whatever is necessary and we will work together to do whatever is necessary to help with fixing that." On Wednesday, Venezuelan government announced it was sending 2,600 troops to a trouble-hit region on the border with Colombia to try to quell weeks of violence.

Venezuela's Maduro to Trump: 'Get your dirty hands out of here'

 

[waltky]

Uncle Ferd says, "Yeah, dat's what Trump needs - a new Congress...

Venezuela prosecutor decries Maduro's new congress plan, deepening rift
Mon May 22, 2017 | Venezuela's state prosecutor has panned unpopular President Nicolas Maduro's plan to create a grassroots congress, deepening a rare public split among the ruling Socialists as two months of massive protests show no sign of abating.

Chief State Prosecutor Luisa Ortega had stunned the crisis-hit nation in March when she lambasted the Supreme Court for annulling the powers of the opposition-led National Assembly. Since then, she has been a wild card within the publicly homogenous Venezuelan government, the foes of which accuse it of seeking to dodge elections by creating a parallel assembly with powers to rewrite the constitution.

Demonstrators hold a banner that reads 'MEDICINE RIGHT NOW' during a rally called by health care workers and opposition activists against Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro in Caracas, Venezuela​

Socialist Party official Elias Jaua, in charge of the "constituent assembly" project, confirmed on Monday that Ortega had written him to express her discontent in a letter that was previously leaked on social media. "It is my imperative to explain the reasons for which I have decided not to participate in this activity," Ortega's two-page missive reads. "Instead of bringing stability or generating a climate of peace, I think this will accelerate the crisis," she said, mentioning it would heighten uncertainty and alter the "unbeatable" constitution launched under late leader Hugo Chavez.

Jaua acknowledged receipt of Ortega's letter, but quickly said she was merely expressing a "political opinion," without any power to change the situation. "We consider that the only organ the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela's constitution empowers to interpret the constitution is the Supreme Court's constitutional chamber," he said at a news conference, in reference to the pro-government top court.

A demonstrator holds a banner that reads 'VENEZUELA WANTS JUSTICE' during a rally called by health care workers and opposition activists against Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro in Caracas, Venezuela​

Venezuelans are scrutinizing Maduro's government and the armed forces for any cracks as protesters take to the streets daily to demand early elections, humanitarian aid to alleviate food and medicine shortages, and freedom for jailed activists. While there are no outward signs of major fissures that would destabilize 18-years of 'Chavista' rule, demonstrators have been cheered by Ortega's public dissent and by some public denunciations of officials by their relatives.

UNREST DEEPENS

See also:

Maduro slams protesters for setting a man alight
Tue, May 23, 2017 - ESCALATING VIOLENCE: In six weeks of anti-Maduro rallies, 47 people have died, with both sides quick to publicize and condemn violence from the other side

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Sunday excoriated opposition protesters for setting a man on fire during a demonstration, accusing them of targeting him for being pro-government. “A person was set on fire, beaten up, stabbed... They nearly lynched him, just because he shouted out that he was a ‘Chavista,’” Maduro said, referring to the ruling socialist movement set up by his predecessor, Hugo Chavez. Witnesses to the incident on Saturday afternoon, including a Reuters photographer, said the crowd had accused the man of being a thief.

About 100 people, who had been participating in anti-Maduro protests, surrounded him, doused him in gasoline and set him alight in Plaza Altamira in east Caracas, the witnesses said. Though some in the crowd said he should die, others helped him and the man survived. Showing a video of the incident on state TV, Maduro identified the man as Orlando Figuera, 21, saying he was being treated in hospital for severe burns.

Demonstrators set an alleged thief on fire during a protest against the government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in Caracas​

Images from the scene showed him running near-naked with flames on his back. “Burning a person because he seems a Chavista is a hate crime and a crime against humanity,” Maduro said on his weekly TV program, also showing another video of someone being beaten up, as well as images of protesters throwing Molotov cocktails. The 54-year-old president says protesters are seeking a violent coup against him with the US’ help and are increasingly persecuting “Chavistas” at home and abroad.

Earlier this week, he compared it to the Nazi treatment of Jews. “Venezuela is facing ... a coup movement that has turned into hatred and intolerance, very similar to Nazi fascism,” he reiterated on Sunday. The Venezuelan opposition says Maduro has become a dictator, wrecked the OPEC nation’s economy, caused desperation by thwarting an electoral exit to the political crisis, and unleashed repression and torture on protesters. “Maduro, Murderer,” can be seen daubed on roads and walls in many parts of Caracas.

MORE

 

[waltky]

Chavez legacy becomes target of protesters...

Angry Venezuela Protesters Take Aim at Chavez Statues, Home
Wednesday 24th May, 2017 - Anti-government protesters in Venezuela have settled on a new target for their frustration: Hugo Chavez.

Until recently, even as the economy cratered and Venezuelans abandoned support for President Nicolas Maduro, many in the socialist-run country continued to revere Chavez for standing up for the oil-rich nation's long-overlooked poor masses. But that once solid reputation has begun to crumble as quickly as statues and monuments built to the late strongman have been toppled. As anti-government unrest has spread, claiming at least 48 lives and leaving hundreds injured, protesters have ripped from their pedestals statues honoring Chavez in at least five towns over the past month.

Teat gas and water cannons used against protesters​

The latest incident took place Monday when a protest in the western city of Barinas turned violent and demonstrators torched a home where Chavez spent part of his childhood, opposition politicians in the city said. During a day of violence in the city, in which at least three men were killed and 50 injured, it was unclear how the incident began or the extent of damage to the house - one of several, and hardly the best known - where a young Chavez lived during an itinerant upbringing marked by poverty. But the symbolism was nonetheless deeply felt by protesters and government supporters alike.

Invoking Chavez

Since Chavez died in 2013, Maduro has tried to cement his grip on power by constantly invoking his political mentor. New statues depicting a youthful Chavez have been built around the country. His penetrating eyes and iconic signature are emblazoned on hundreds of public buildings. And even anti-government demonstrators frequently couch their criticism of Maduro by citing El Comandante's old speeches to argue he has strayed from Chavez's revolutionary road map.

Yet in town plazas around the country, Venezuelans no longer appear to view Chavez's legacy as justification for the current government. In Villa del Rosario, a town in northwest Venezuela, protesters two weeks ago set fire to a statue of Chavez standing in salute and later proceeded to shake it back and forth, cheering when they finally knocked it to the ground. In another city, the commander's boots, body sawed off above the ankles, was the only evidence left of the spot where a Chavez statue once stood. In another, a Chavez bust disappeared entirely.

Satiating frustration, disappointment[/CENTER]

 

[waltky]

Granny says, "Dat's right - Maduro needs to go...

Venezuela is sliding into anarchy
May 24,`17 — Venezuela’s crisis has taken a dark turn in the past few days.

Rioting and looting have exploded in the rural state of Barinas, leaving seven dead and dozens injured. In one of Caracas's main plazas on Saturday, a lynch mob doused a young man with gasoline and set him ablaze. And in several neighborhoods of the capital, masked protesters have been setting up smoldering street barricades known as “guarimbas,” demanding payment from passing cars. After seven weeks of near-daily protests, the incidents point to spreading anarchy in Venezuela, as both the government and opposition leaders — who urge nonviolence — appear to be losing control.

Venezuelan security forces and the pro-government motorcycle gangs known as “colectivos” have met the unrest with escalating force, and in some cases, lethal gunfire, making matters worse. At least 55 people have been killed in the past seven weeks, including protesters, members of the security forces and bystanders caught in the fray. About 1,000 have been injured, according to the latest tally by authorities, and 346 businesses have been looted or burned. “The danger is that a spiral of violence will overwhelm the capacity of either side to control it,” said Phil Gunson, a Caracas-based analyst for the International Crisis Group, adding the mayhem of the past several days appears to have “crossed another threshold.” “The more people die, the more the anger grows and the more willing the government becomes to respond even more violently,” Gunson said.

This sort of downward spiral was always one of the possible outcomes of the protest movement challenging President Nicolás Maduro with calls for early elections and a return to democratic rule. But Maduro has remained obstinate, the demonstrations have intensified amid a severe economic crisis and a negotiated solution looks more remote than ever. More violence may be in store after election authorities said Tuesday night that a vote would be held in late July to elect a "constituent assembly” with the power to rewrite Venezuela's constitution. Maduro's opponents are boycotting the assembly, viewing it as a final blow to Venezuelan democracy, and they urged protesters to return to the streets Wednesday.

In an interview, opposition leader Henrique Capriles said the government — not protesters — is to blame for the deadly turmoil. He accused Maduro of orchestrating the violence and outbursts of looting. “The government wants to discredit the protests,” Capriles said Tuesday. “But the government has a credibility problem. People hear Maduro speak and don't believe anything he says.” Venezuela’s opposition has organized huge marches with hundreds of thousands in the streets, the overwhelming majority of whom are peaceful. But smaller groups of protesters — typically young men in hoods and gas masks — have been hurling molotov cocktails at police, using slingshots to bombard them with jars of excrement or setting fire to government vehicles.

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See also:

Venezuela’s paradox: People are hungry, but farmers can’t feed them
May 22,`17 — With cash running low and debts piling up, Venezuela’s socialist government has cut back sharply on food imports. And for farmers in most countries, that would present an opportunity.

But this is Venezuela, whose economy operates on its own special plane of dysfunction. At a time of empty supermarkets and spreading hunger, the country’s farms are producing less and less, not more, making the caloric deficit even worse. Drive around the countryside outside the capital, Caracas, and there’s everything a farmer needs: fertile land, water, sunshine and gasoline at 4 cents a gallon, cheapest in the world. Yet somehow families here are just as scrawny-looking as the city-dwelling Venezuelans waiting in bread lines or picking through garbage for scraps.

Having attempted for years to defy conventional economics, the country now faces a painful reckoning with basic arithmetic. “Last year I had 200,000 hens,” said Saulo Escobar, who runs a poultry and hog farm here in the state of Aragua, an hour outside Caracas. “Now I have 70,000.” Several of his cavernous henhouses sit empty because, Escobar said, he can’t afford to buy more chicks or feed. Government price controls have made his business unprofitable, and armed gangs have been squeezing him for extortion payments and stealing his eggs.

Venezuela’s latest public health indicators confirm that the country is facing a dietary calamity. With medicines scarce and malnutrition cases soaring, more than 11,000 babies died last year, sending the infant mortality rate up 30 percent, according to Venezuela’s Health Ministry. The head of the ministry was fired by President Nicolás Maduro two days after she released those statistics. Child hunger in parts of Venezuela is a “humanitarian crisis,” according to a new report by the Catholic relief organization Caritas, which found 11.4 percent of children under age 5 suffering from moderate to severe malnutrition, and 48 percent “at risk” of going hungry.

‘The Maduro diet’

Related:

As the poor join protests, Venezuela may be hitting a turning point
April 29,`17 — In the cramped hillside slums where they once adored Hugo Chávez, hungry families now jeer and bang pots at the man struggling in his shadow, President Nicolás Maduro.

Chávez, a master showman who promised his country a socialist “revolution,” loved to wade through crowds of poor Venezuelans, blowing kisses and dispensing hugs. But when his successor has ventured out in public in recent months, he’s been pelted with eggs and chased by angry mobs. “Maduro is so different,” said Irene Castillo, 26, who lives in El Guarataro, a tough neighborhood not far from the presidential palace. She voted for Maduro in 2013 when Chávez died after 14 years in power. But no one on Castillo’s block supports the government anymore, she said. “Now, those who remain ‘chavistas’ are just the radicals.”

As the country’s bloody, volatile, month-old protest movement hardens into a prolonged standoff between demonstrators and the government, the loyalties of poorer Venezuelans like Castillo have become a swing factor in determining whether the president will survive. The thousands of demonstrators pouring into the streets in recent weeks are mostly middle class, outraged by Venezuela’s economic collapse and the government’s increasingly authoritarian rule. But Venezuelans from longtime chavista strongholds are starting to join them, at considerable risk. Residents of Castillo’s neighborhood protested openly against Maduro for the first time last week.

Pro-government block captains in neighborhoods like El Guarataro have responded by threatening to deny food rations to those who march with the opposition or fail to join pro-Maduro rallies. Militia groups armed by the government and known as “colectivos” are deployed to intimidate would-be defectors and are suspected in the deaths of several protesters. As the confrontation escalates, many other destitute Venezuelans remain on the sidelines, disillusioned with Maduro but unpersuaded by his opponents, or too busy looking for food to join a march. Aside from a military revolt, there is perhaps nothing Maduro fears more than a rebellion spreading through the neighborhoods that long backed Chávez. There are signs it’s already happening.

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[waltky]

Is too dangerous to send kids to school in Venezuela...

Why Venezuelan parents keep children at home
Tue, 23 May 2017 - As the political crisis in Venezuela deepens, more parents choose not to send their children to school.

Venezuela is gripped by an ever-deepening economic and political crisis that has triggered almost daily anti-government protests since April. Triple-digit inflation, a high crime rate and clashes between protesters and security forces have affected the lives of many, including schoolchildren. "We're not living in normal times," says former professional football player Andrew Páez, 48, who has decided to keep his two sons at home. Manuel, 12, and Mathias, 10, have not been to school since 19 April. "Our priority at this point is to keep them safe," Mr Páez says. Mathias and Manuel attend La Salle Education Centre, a private school run by the Christian Brothers Catholic religious order in the western town of Mérida.

Andrew Páez and his wife Sara Yépez are not sending Manuel and Mathias to school​

On that day, director Javier Ramírez tells me, the school was closed for independence day, but he was in his office doing some grading. Outside, anti-government protesters were marching. When Mr Ramírez heard some noise and went to investigate, he found a group of about 40 demonstrators had taken shelter inside the school after police had tried to disperse them. Some of them had been injured. Mr Ramírez called the local emergency services, who took away those too badly wounded to walk, and then he asked the remaining protesters to leave, which they did peacefully.

'It was terrible'

Not long after, however, a group of six people forced the locks on the main gate and broke into the school grounds on motorcycles. Brother Freddy, one of the Christian Brothers teaching at the school, lives in a house on the grounds. After helping tend to the wounded protesters, Brother Freddy returned to the house.

Javier Ramírez was doing some grading when protesters took refuge in the school​

There he was with his sister, a school administrator, and her husband, when the motorcycle gang broke through the main gate. "Some were masked, others not, some had weapons such as bats, others did not," Brother Freddy recalls. "They broke the windows of all the cars parked here and ripped out their radios and sound systems, bashing the cars as they went." "Not satisfied with that, they broke down the door to the house, smashing everything in their way." "It was terrible. I thought, when they get to us they're going to give us a bashing, too," Brother Freddy says. "I was standing on the top of the stairs, with my hands in the air and my eyes closed as two of them came up the stairs." The two told Brother Freddy to hand over his phone, which he did, and then one of them gave a signal and they all left. "They took everything, all the food, and what they couldn't take they destroyed, such as the microwave. "They even overturned the pots with the plants!"

Rampage out of revenge?

 

[waltky]

Chaos in Caracas...

Violence engulfs Venezuelan capital, teenager protester dies
Wed Jun 7, 2017 | A 17-year-old Venezuelan protester died in ferocious clashes between security forces and protesters in Caracas on Wednesday, taking the death toll from unrest since April to at least 66.

The government said Neomar Lander died when a homemade mortar exploded in his hands while hundreds of youths faced off with National Guard troops in the Venezuelan capital. Opposition lawmakers, however, said he was killed by a tear gas cannister fired straight at him. The state prosecutor's office announced a probe, without giving details. A Reuters photographer saw a young man, assumed to be Lander, lying bloodied and motionless on the street, receiving emergency first aid. At least 66 people have died, with victims including government and opposition supporters, bystanders and members of the security forces, since demonstrations began against President Nicolas Maduro more than two months ago. Each side blames the other for the violence.

Riot security forces members catch fire during riots at a rally against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's government in Caracas, Venezuela, June 7, 2017.​

Critics denounce Maduro as a repressive dictator, and are demanding general elections, foreign humanitarian aid, freedom for hundreds of jailed activists, and autonomy for the opposition-controlled National Assembly. "We mustn't let fear intimidate us, let's stay in the streets to fight for all Venezuelans' future," said opposition lawmaker Miguel Pizarro, weeping at a news conference as he described seeing Lander's death. "Soon we will able to say these were the last, dark days of the dicatorship." Maduro, 54, calls his foes violent right-wing "fascist" conspirators seeking a coup similar to the short-lived 2002 toppling of his predecessor Hugo Chavez. "This is criminal terrorism, and we must reject it," Maduro told supporters in a speech carried on state TV, comparing his foes to Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini and Augusto Pinochet.

ECONOMIC CRISIS

In the worst turmoil of Maduro's turbulent four-year rule, thousands of people have been injured and arrested in recent weeks. Protesters are also complaining about hunger and shortages during a brutal economic crisis in the OPEC nation. In Caracas on Wednesday, security forces using armored vehicles, water cannons and tear gas blocked opposition supporters from marching to the national election board's headquarters, sparking clashes around the city. Masked youths with homemade shields hurled stones and Molotov cocktails, and set up burning roadblocks, while businesses and schools closed, and residents ran for cover. Among hundreds of injuries reported in Caracas and other cities, the government highlighted the case of two National Guard soldiers wounded by gunshots when they were clearing a barricade in the El Paraiso district of the capital.

A truck is set on fire outside a Supreme Justice Court branch office during riots at a rally against Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro's government in Caracas, Venezuela, June 7, 2017.​

Seeking to keep the pressure on Maduro, the opposition announced further upcoming activities including a planned censure vote against the interior minister in the National Assembly and a rally in honor of Lander on Thursday. Maduro has sought to take the heat out of the situation by announcing the creation of a super-body called a constituent assembly with powers to rewrite the constitution, but foes say that is a sham purely designed to keep the socialists in power. The national election board announced on Wednesday that votes for the new assembly would still go ahead on July 30, despite an opposition boycott, criticism from some within government, and a legal appeal by state prosecutor Luisa Ortega who said it threatened to "eliminate" democracy. The pro-government Supreme Court rejected her petition in a ruling made public on Wednesday.

Violence engulfs Venezuelan capital, teenage protester dies

 

[waltky]

A coup in the offing?...

Pressure Grows on Military as Venezuela’s Governing Crisis Worsens
June 8, 2017 – Analysts point to increased pressure on Venezuela’s military and a growing rift between President Nicolas Maduro and his chief prosecutor as new challenges confronting the president as he tries to centralize his power amid worsening street protests and violence.

They say while the ability of Venezuela’s Latin American neighbors to influence Maduro’s decisions is very limited, U.S. sanctions on the state-owned oil industry could represent the most leverage any outside power could have. “The situation is spiraling out of control,” said Michael McCarthy, a research fellow with the Center for Latin American & Latino Studies. In a recent blog post, McCarthy wrote that Maduro was in “raw survival mode,” and his attempt to rewrite the nation’s constitution constituted a move “toward outright dictatorship.” “I don’t think Venezuelan politics has ever been as uncertain as they are today,” McCarthy said in an interview. “Any process that Maduro tries to roll out in terms of centralizing his authority is going to take some give-and-take and negotiation with the military.”

Pointing to recent reports that the government’s chief prosecutor, Luisa Ortega Diaz, has called on the Supreme Court to reject a re-write of the constitution, McCarthy said her loyalty to the Maduro regime is now in question. But it’s unclear whether her intention is to lend legitimacy to the Maduro’s opponents, pursue her own political ambitions, or make a statement of conscience, McCarthy said. “She’s been the true celebrity of this 70-day long political rebellion,” he commented. “There is definitely a confrontation within the government, but we have to see how this plays out in the coming months,” said Reggie Thompson, a Latin America Analyst with the private security consultancy Stratfor. Ortega Diaz was appointed by Maduro’s predecessor, Hugo Chavez, and she has the allegiance of retired military personnel, Thompson noted.

Venezuela’s embattled President Nicolas Maduro.​

There are signs the military is growing uncomfortable with the government’s response to the street protests. Thompson said there’s no open confrontation between Maduro and the defense minister but unquestioning support by the military for the government is in doubt. He pointed to a reported call by Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez for the national guard to stop committing atrocities against protestors. “The defense minister is trying to tone down the use of force against protestors,” Thompson said. “It could be he is afraid the violence is going to escalate and attract the interest of the international community which would result in sanctions by the U.S. for human rights violations.”

What Maduro’s government fears most is the imposition of U.S. sanctions on the state-controlled oil industry, since oil is the government’s “only source of revenue,” according to Thompson. International organizations with influence over events in Venezuela are few, he said, noting that countries other than the U.S. have not proven capable of driving the situation to a resolution. “The trouble with the Venezuelan crisis is that it never gets the attention it deserves,” said Mike Gonzalez, a senior fellow at the Heritage Foundation. “I am very pessimistic about Latin American countries using their influence on Venezuela.”

MORE

 

[waltky]

Venezuelan election turns deadly...

Venezuela crisis: Deadly clashes amid tense election for assembly
Mon, 31 Jul 2017 - Several people are reported killed as voting for a new assembly is disrupted by violence.

Venezuela's election of a controversial new assembly has been disrupted by violence, with protests across the country and several deaths reported. Those killed include an opposition youth leader, a pro-government candidate and a soldier. The government wants a new constituent assembly with powers to rewrite the constitution and override congress. The opposition says it is a power grab by President Nicolás Maduro and is boycotting the vote. President Maduro says it is the only way to restore peace after months of protests and political stalemate between the government and the opposition controlled National Assembly.

Smoke rises from a police station that was set on fire while the Constituent Assembly election was being carried out in Caracas, Venezuela​

As well as internal opposition, Venezuela faces mounting international criticism over the election and on Sunday the US said it was considering further sanctions. As voting got under way on Sunday morning, anti-government protesters took to the streets despite a government ban and there were reports of clashes with police across the country. At least three people were reported shot dead in the western state of Tachira - two teenagers and a soldier from the national guard. Ricardo Campos, a youth secretary with the opposition Acción Democrática party, was shot dead during a protest in the north-eastern town of Cumana, prosecutors said.

Opposition activists protest in Caracas, on July 24, 2017 Venezuela's angry opposition is pushing for a boycott of an upcoming vote that it dismisses as a ploy by President Nicolas Maduro to cling to power.​

Shortly before voting started, José Felix Pineda, a 39-year-old lawyer standing in the election, was also reportedly shot in his home in Bolivar state. The El Nacional newspaper said 13 people had been killed across Venezuela in the past 24 hours. In the capital Caracas, an explosion near one demonstration injured several police officers and set a number of their motorcycles on fire. Security forces used armoured vehicles to dispel protesters in the Caracas district of El Paraíso amid the sound of gunfire, local reports said. Voting was extended by an hour until 19:00 (23:00 GMT), electoral officials said, to allow all votes to be cast.

Analysis: An uncontested election

See also:

Venezuelans stay away from polls to protest government vote
Jul 30,`17 -- Venezuelans stayed away from the polls in massive numbers on Sunday in a show of protest against a vote to grant President Nicolas Maduro's ruling socialist party virtually unlimited powers in the face of a brutal socio-economic crisis and a grinding battle against its political opponents and groups of increasingly alienated and violent young protesters.

The government swore to continue its push for total political dominance of this once-prosperous OPEC nation, a move likely to trigger U.S. sanctions and new rounds of the street fighting that has killed at least 122 and wounded nearly 2,000 since protests began in April. Venezuela's chief prosecutor's office reported seven deaths Sunday in clashes between protesters and police across the country. Seven police officers were wounded when an explosion went off as they drove past piles of trash that had been used to blockade a street in an opposition stronghold in eastern Caracas. Argentina, Colombia, Peru, Panama, Peru and the United States said they would not recognize Sunday's vote. Canada and Mexico have also issued statements repudiating the election.

Across the capital of more than 2 million people, dozens of polling places were virtually empty, including many that saw hours-long lines of thousands voting to keep the government in power over the last two decades. By contrast, at the Poliedro sports and cultural complex in western Caracas, several thousand people waited about two hours to vote, many drawn from opposition-dominated neighborhoods where polling places were closed. But at least three dozen other sites visited by The Associated Press had no more than a few hundred voters at any one time, with many virtually empty. Opposition leaders had called for a boycott of the vote, declaring it rigged for the ruling party, and by late afternoon they were declaring the low turnout a resounding victory. "It's very clear to us that the government has suffered a defeat today," said Julio Borges, president of the opposition-controlled but largely powerless National Assembly. "This vote brings us closer to the government leaving power."

Maduro called the vote for a constitutional assembly in May after a month of protests against his government, which has overseen Venezuela's descent into a devastating crisis during its four years in power. Thanks to plunging oil prices and widespread corruption and mismanagement, Venezuela's inflation and homicide rates are among the world's highest, and widespread shortages of food and medicine have citizens dying of preventable illnesses and rooting through trash to feed themselves. The winners among the 5,500 ruling-party candidates running for 545 seats in the constituent assembly will be charged with rewriting the country's constitution and will have powers above and beyond other state institutions, including the opposition-controlled congress. Maduro made clear in a televised address Saturday that he intends to use the assembly not just to rewrite the country's charter but to govern without limitation. Describing the vote as "the election of a power that's above and beyond every other," Maduro said he wants the assembly to strip opposition lawmakers and governors of constitutional immunity from prosecution - one of the few remaining checks on ruling party power. Declaring the opposition "already has its prison cell waiting," Maduro added: "All the criminals will go to prison for the crimes they've committed."

MORE

Related:

Venezuela claims 41.5% turnout in violent constituent assembly vote
Mon, 31 Jul 2017 - The official turnout is disputed by the opposition, after at least 10 died in election day violence.

Turnout in Venezuela's controversial election for a constituent assembly was 41.5%, the electoral commission says. Just over eight million people voted, commission president Tibisay Lucena told a news conference. Sunday's election was marred by violence, with widespread protests and at least 10 people killed. The opposition put the turnout at only 12%. It has refused to recognise the election and has called for further protests on Monday. President Nicolás Maduro hailed the election as the "biggest ever vote for the revolution". Venezuela's new constituent assembly will have powers to rewrite the constitution and override the opposition-controlled congress.

Government supporters celebrate at the end of voting day in the Plaza Bolivar of Caracas, Venezuela​

Mr Maduro says it is the only way to restore peace after months of protests and political stalemate. But his critics describe it as a power grab. Despite the violence, Ms Lucena described the election as "a success" and the turnout as "extraordinary". Venezuela faces mounting international criticism over the new assembly and on Sunday the US said it was considering fresh sanctions targeting the oil industry there. It has already imposed sanctions on 13 members of Mr Maduro's government. The US State Department said it would take swift action against what it called the "architects of authoritarianism". US ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, dismissed the vote as a "sham election" and a "step towards dictatorship".

Venezuela has already been suspended from regional economic bloc Mercosur by fellow-members Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay, following concern over human rights. The opposition called for further protests on Monday and a mass protest in Caracas on Wednesday when the new assembly is due to convene for the first time. "We do not recognise this fraudulent process," said opposition leader Henrique Capriles. He described Sunday's deaths as a "massacre". The BBC's Will Grant in Caracas says that although President Maduro claims a resounding victory in the election, the challenge will be governing afterwards in Venezuela's conflicted political environment.

Opposition protesters block a street during a protest held to denounce the National Constituent Assembly elections, in Caracas​

As voting got under way on Sunday, anti-government protesters took to the streets despite a government ban. At least three people were reported shot dead in the western state of Táchira - two teenagers and a soldier from the national guard. A youth secretary with the opposition Acción Democrática party was shot dead during a protest in the north-eastern town of Cumaná while a 39-year-old lawyer standing in the election was also reportedly killed in his home in Bolívar state. In the capital Caracas, an explosion near one demonstration injured several police officers and set a number of their motorcycles on fire. Security forces used armoured vehicles to dispel protesters in the Caracas district of El Paraíso.

Why did the election happen?

 

[Pete7469]

We have imbeciles running around this country who want to copy Venezuela.

 

[IsaacNewton]

Thankfully college students in the US show up and strongly oppose the wannabe fascist dictator in the US. But Trump is also one that like to use violence on people so we'll see how long before he orders troops to kill US citizens. Indeed he's watching Venezuela closely for tips on how to suppress the population with force.

 

[Pete7469]

Thankfully college students in the US show up and strongly oppose the wannabe fascist dictator in the US. But Trump is also one that like to use violence on people so we'll see how long before he orders troops to kill US citizens. Indeed he's watching Venezuela closely for tips on how to suppress the population with force.

I'll bet this bed wetter actually believes this stupid shit.

 

[IsaacNewton]

Thankfully college students in the US show up and strongly oppose the wannabe fascist dictator in the US. But Trump is also one that like to use violence on people so we'll see how long before he orders troops to kill US citizens. Indeed he's watching Venezuela closely for tips on how to suppress the population with force.

I'll bet this bed wetter actually believes this stupid shit.

It's ok snowflake, go to your safe space and get your blanky. The mean old college students aren't after you! Conservatives have really just turned into the pussies of the population. A mouse farts and they jump six feet.

 

[Pete7469]

Thankfully college students in the US show up and strongly oppose the wannabe fascist dictator in the US. But Trump is also one that like to use violence on people so we'll see how long before he orders troops to kill US citizens. Indeed he's watching Venezuela closely for tips on how to suppress the population with force.

I'll bet this bed wetter actually believes this stupid shit.

It's ok snowflake, go to your safe space and get your blanky. The mean old college students aren't after you! Conservatives have really just turned into the pussies of the population. A mouse farts and they jump six feet.