Venezuela: Resistance or disintegration?

20.05.2018 - Venezuelans to head to the Polls to Elect New President on Sunday
Venezuelans to Head to the Polls to Elect New President on Sunday

Venezuelans will head to the polls Sunday to elect a new president amid the ongoing social and political crisis in the country.

Five candidates are competing for victory in the election: incumbent President Nicolas Maduro, editor at the Aporrea media outlet Reinaldo Quijada, conservative preacher Luis Ratti, opposition leader Henri Falcon and Evangelical pastor Javier Bertucci.

The polling stations will open at 06:00 a.m. local time (10:00 GMT) and close at 06:00 p.m.

Venezuela has an automated vote-counting system. A voter presents his or her ID to an election commission’s chairperson and approaches a voting machine behind a curtain. After scanning the voter’s fingerprints, the machine displays the list of candidates.

The presidential elections were initially set to take place in December, then rescheduled for April 22, and delayed again to May.

Venezuela has been facing mass protests since last spring. The protests were sparked by the country's top court's decision to restrict the legislative powers of the parliament as well as the election to the National Constituent Assembly initiated by Maduro with the intention of changing the constitution.


19.05.2018 - Western Media Writing Off Venezuela's Elections - Unless Their Candidate Wins
Western Media Writing Off Venezuela’s Elections - Unless Their Candidate Wins

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is up for re-election on Sunday, when he will try to defeat the growing opposition movement to his government. Radio Sputnik’s Loud & Clear spoke with activist and writer Lucas Koerner, who writes for VenezuelaAnalysis.com, to get an idea of what to expect May 20.

Maduro's primary challenger is Henri Falcon, a former governor of Lara state and a former member of Maduro's own United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV). Falcon founded the Progressive Advance party, politically allied to the opposition Democratic Unity Roundtable (MUD) party, in 2012. The only other challenger is Javier Bertucci, running as an independent. He's a politically conservative evangelical preacher, according to the UK Independent.

Despite the election and Venezuela's democracy, host Brian Becker noted that the New York Times headline on the event heavily implied that Maduro is a dictator and that the election threatens to topple him.

"If Venezuela were a dictatorship, it wouldn't be having a presidential election," Koerner pointed out.

"Nicolas Maduro was actually elected to a six-year term on April 14, 2013, which, you know, expires on January 10, 2019, so he'll be serving out his constitutional mandate, which is conveniently forgotten by the mainstream media," Koerner noted. Maduro, who was vice president from 2012 to 2013, became president when Hugo Chavez died of cancer complications March 5, 2013. The Venezuelan constitution mandated that an election be held within 30 days, and Maduro narrowly won with 50.6 percent of the vote, just 1.5 percent difference from his rival, Henrique Capriles of MUD.

"The mainstream media just parrots the opposition line, they wanna have their cake and eat it, too. They want to delegitimize the election, but at the same time they want to paint Henri Falcon, who is the opposition frontrunner, as this champion of democracy, so in case he wins, they'll recognize the election," Koerner theorized.

With two of its national leaders, Leopoldo Lopez and Capriles, unable to run in the election for various reasons, MUD chose to boycott the elections, which were originally scheduled for April 22, calling them "fraudulent," Reuters reported. Falcon's party broke their alliance with MUD in order to enter the election.

"Henri Falcon is seeking to promote a high turnout for this election to try and defeat Maduro, but the reality is the opposition has shot itself in the foot, because all the main opposition parties have called for a boycott and are actively attempting to undermine this candidate."

Koerner noted that opposition supporters are "militantly against this candidate."

The Miami-Herald recently put Falcon on blast, calling him a "traitor to Venezuela" on May 2, heavily insinuating that Falcon is an illegitimate opposition leader whose basis of support is "Wall Street bond holders" that seek a cooperative government "who they hope would guarantee future payments of Venezuelan bonds." The Herald noted that "Falcon's top economic adviser is Harvard-graduated economist Francisco Rodriguez, chief economist of Torino Capital, a New York financial firm focused on Latin American emerging markets."

However, the question on everybody's minds is: Who is going to win?

"I think Maduro is going to win," Koerner said, "but the question is, by how much, how many votes is he going to get, because it's not just that the opposition is boycotting, it's also the fact that the opposition is divided… the fact is that Falcon is not a nationally renowned, nationally known figure. He's very uncharismatic, he just lost his reelection bid in October by a landslide, so he's not viewed as someone — and you know, he's being actively delegitimized by the opposition."

"But the question is Maduro, how many votes is he able to mobilize? He definitely has a floor of, say, 6, 6.5 million votes, I would say at least, probably 7. But he's promising 11, he was trying to get over 50 percent because that's what he needs to really ensure his legitimacy. That would be a massive blow to the United States and the opposition if he were to win that, but it remains to be seen whether he can mobilize those numbers."
 
21.05.2018 - Nicolas Maduro Wins Venezuelan Presidential Election
Nicolas Maduro Wins Venezuelan Presidential Election

Incumbent Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro has won the country's presidential election, according to the first official data.

Nicolas Maduro was re-elected as the Venezuelan president with the voters' turnout amounting to 46.01 percent, head of the National Electoral Council Tibisay Lucena said after the body had processed 92.6 percent of ballots.

"With 92.6 percent of processed ballots and 46.01-percent turnout, we can say that Nicolas Maduro obtained 5,823,718 votes, Henri Falcon got 1,820,552 and Javier Bertucci 952,000 votes," Lucena said.

Lucena said that Maduro was re-elected as the Venezuelan president having got 68 percent of votes.


21.05.2018 - Venezuelan Presidential Candidate Falcon Refuses to Recognize Voting Legitimacy
Venezuelan Presidential Candidate Falcon Refuses to Recognize Voting Legitimacy

Venezuelan presidential candidate Henri Falcon refused to recognize results of the presidential election due to alleged mass electoral violations.

“We do not recognize this electoral process and qualify it as illegitimate,” Falcon wrote on his Twitter page. He added that his team gathered more than 142,000 complaints about violations that took place during the voting.
 
21.05.2018 - US Vice President: Venezuela's Presidential Election "Neither Free Nor Fair"
US Vice President: Venezuela’s Presidential Election 'Neither Free Nor Fair'

The presidential election in Venezuela that concluded on Sunday was not free or fair, US Vice President Michael Pence said in a statement.

"Venezuela’s election was a sham, neither free nor fair. The illegitimate result of this fake process is a further blow to the proud democratic tradition of Venezuela. The United States will not sit idly by as Venezuela crumbles and the misery of their brave people continues…The Maduro regime must allow humanitarian aid into Venezuela and must allow its people to be heard," Pence said.

The US top official went on saying that the Maduro government must allow humanitarian aid into the country "and must allow its people to be heard."

Venezuelan Election - Venezuelan officials have named socialist leader Nicolas Maduro the winner of the presidential election on May 20. Maduro's main rival has brought questions about the legitimacy of the vote and called for new balloting.

Information Minister Jorge Rodriguez stated that Maduro's victory was of "epic proportions" and proclaimed it "the biggest victory" by a candidate in Venezuela's history.

According to the National Election Council, Maduro won 4 million votes more than independent challenger Henri Falcon.

About 6 million votes or 92.6% for Maduro is a bigger percentage win than any other candidate since Venezuela's 1958 election following the overthrow of dictator Marcos Perez Jimenez.


21.05.2018 - Trump Orders to Prevent Venezuelan Officials From Selling Off Public Assets
Trump Orders to Prevent Venezuelan Officials From Selling Off Public Assets

US President Donald Trump has signed an order limiting the Venezuelan government's ability to sell off public assets after its “sham” election, the White House stated.

The new order would prevent the selling off of the Venezuelan accounts receivable related to oil, according to the US official.

"The President of the United States signed the executive order particularly in light of the recent activities of the Maduro regime, including endemic economic mismanagement and public corruption at the expense of the Venezuelan people and their prosperity, and ongoing repression of the political opposition; attempts to undermine democratic order by holding snap elections that are neither free nor fair; and the regime's responsibility for the deepening humanitarian and public health crisis in Venezuela," the White House representative said in a statement.

The senior administration official also said in the near future, the United States will work with the Lima Group in order to freeze proceeds from Venezuela.

The official said all potential tools the United States could use against Maduro in order to resolve the current situation in Venezuela remain on the table and are being reviewed.

The United States' response is proportionate to the actions of the Maduro regime, and shows the country will not be part of any transactions with a dictatorship, the official noted.

The United States has banned US citizens from all transactions related to the government debt of Venezuela, a presidential executive order issued by the Treasury Department said.

"All transactions related to, provision of financing for, and other dealings in the following by a United States person or within the United States are prohibited: (i) the purchase of any debt owed to the Government of Venezuela, including accounts receivable," the order said. "(ii) any debt owed to the Government of Venezuela that is pledged as collateral after the effective date of this order, including accounts receivable."

Washington also banned the sale, transfer, assignment, or pledge as collateral by the Government of Venezuela any equity interest in any entity in which Caracas has a 50 percent or more ownership interest, according to the order.

Earlier this day, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo issued a statement condemning Sunday's election and vowing to take economic and diplomatic actions against Venezuela.

Venezuela held presidential elections on May 20. This year, four candidates ran for the presidency: incumbent President Nicolas Maduro, Reinaldo Quijada, who supported Maduro's predecessor Hugo Chavez but is dissatisfied with the current government, opposition leader Henri Falcon and Evangelical pastor Javier Bertucci.

The National Electoral Council in Venezuela certified Maduro's re-election with 68 percent of the vote.


22.05.2018 - Trump Urges Maduro to Release "Political Prisoners" Amid New Sanction
Trump Urges Maduro to Release 'Political Prisoners' Amid New Sanctions

US President Donald in a statement called on Venezuela’s President Nicholas Maduro to hold fair election and release all political prisoners in the wake of newly introduced sanctions by Washington against Caracas.

"The United States remains committed to the Venezuelan people, who have suffered immensely under the Maduro regime," Trump said on Monday. "We call for the Maduro regime to restore democracy, hold free and fair elections, release all political prisoners immediately and unconditionally, and end the repression and economic deprivation of the Venezuelan people."

Trump said his administration took action to prevent Venezuelans officials from liquidating assets that could help Venezuela’s economy.

"This order is the most recent in a strong, consistent stream of actions my Administration has taken targeting the Maduro regime," Trump added.
 
Here’s a question that has been on my mind lately.

Maduro is a questionable character, easy to make fun of, not very bright, and probably running the country aground by not navigating the external influences carefully.

But, why does he keep on winning elections? Why would the opposition simply decide not to participate and risk getting elected? Like something doesn’t add up.

I don’t put past Maduro and his party to have created conditions for his supporters to have an easier time voting than his opposers, and perhaps that’s a big factor. But I still can’t see a reason for the opposition, a party that has been calling for presidential elections for the longest time to simply say...”oh presidential elections? Yeah no, they’re probably not going to be fair so we just won’t participate period”

I felt like these elections would have been the one opportunity for them to back their claims of popular disgust with chavismo. Even if unfair elections, why wouldn’t they show up, symbolically, to display the unfairness. Or to give the people a chance to make their voice heard.

I feel that what just took place in Venezuela doesn’t help their cause in the slightest, it’s like setting up a soccer match and then going, well you’re probably going to cheat, so I’m not even going to show up. And the only recourse they have is every other nation that’s aligned with the US saying that they’re not recognizing the results of the election. Calling them snap is misleading because, these have been announced for months.

How do they have any credibility left with the people that do want a change of government when you’ve been screaming for presidential elections and then don’t show up.

Now, I’m aware I may be missing a lot of information, so take this with a grain of salt. And I allow myself the space to be wrong.

But I don’t know, this leads me to think that either people are happy with Maduro, and the opposition are just inflating the discontent, or the opposition are even more inept than him and will rail up people to vote and then give them nothing to vote for, essentially working for Maduro. Or... Maduro is a better strategist than he’s given credit for.
 
Here’s a question that has been on my mind lately.

Maduro is a questionable character, easy to make fun of, not very bright, and probably running the country aground by not navigating the external influences carefully.

But, why does he keep on winning elections? Why would the opposition simply decide not to participate and risk getting elected? Like something doesn’t add up.

I don’t put past Maduro and his party to have created conditions for his supporters to have an easier time voting than his opposers, and perhaps that’s a big factor. But I still can’t see a reason for the opposition, a party that has been calling for presidential elections for the longest time to simply say...”oh presidential elections? Yeah no, they’re probably not going to be fair so we just won’t participate period”

I felt like these elections would have been the one opportunity for them to back their claims of popular disgust with chavismo. Even if unfair elections, why wouldn’t they show up, symbolically, to display the unfairness. Or to give the people a chance to make their voice heard.

I feel that what just took place in Venezuela doesn’t help their cause in the slightest, it’s like setting up a soccer match and then going, well you’re probably going to cheat, so I’m not even going to show up. And the only recourse they have is every other nation that’s aligned with the US saying that they’re not recognizing the results of the election. Calling them snap is misleading because, these have been announced for months.

How do they have any credibility left with the people that do want a change of government when you’ve been screaming for presidential elections and then don’t show up.

Now, I’m aware I may be missing a lot of information, so take this with a grain of salt. And I allow myself the space to be wrong.

But I don’t know, this leads me to think that either people are happy with Maduro, and the opposition are just inflating the discontent, or the opposition are even more inept than him and will rail up people to vote and then give them nothing to vote for, essentially working for Maduro. Or... Maduro is a better strategist than he’s given credit for.

These are valid interrogations. I may have something in my mind about this; There are two factor that were at play with this past elections, the first thing is that Maduro rescheduled the elections date, the elections were suppose to be in October/November period. Maduro ordered to be celebrated in May instead (BTW according to the constitution he cannot mandate or give orders to the electoral system but again they did so which proves that there is an unbalance of power playing here) by doing this it leaves the opposition without a good timeframe to reorganize and choose a "good" candidate enough to represent them in the elections. Remember that the opposition hasn't been that united lately so unofficially speaking the government took advantage of that. The second thing is because Electoral System reschedule the elections the opposition knowing that they didn't have time enough to prepare very well called the elections as a fraud although they may had a point, is another excuse as well "to prove" to the international community A.K.A United States that Venezuela is under a supposedly dictatorship.

In Venezuela are more than 11 millions active voters could be 12 not sure, lets say that 1 million in total left the country overall. None of them voted these past elections. and Maduro got 6.2 millions vote (whether is true or not can't say but is estrange that got more votes than the previous elections) if the opposition would have prepared well for this past elections they may had a real chance to finally win once for all.

How I feel about this? My mind is very divided like the people in Venezuela. In one hand it makes me happy that the US would not get in control any time soon of Venezuela, on the other hand people will suffer more because of the sanctions and the low capacity of Maduro's government to move ahead of the "enemy" like Russia or China. Bad strategy in all fronts. But again the future will tell.
 
These are valid interrogations. I may have something in my mind about this; There are two factor that were at play with this past elections, the first thing is that Maduro rescheduled the elections date, the elections were suppose to be in October/November period. Maduro ordered to be celebrated in May instead (BTW according to the constitution he cannot mandate or give orders to the electoral system but again they did so which proves that there is an unbalance of power playing here) by doing this it leaves the opposition without a good timeframe to reorganize and choose a "good" candidate enough to represent them in the elections. Remember that the opposition hasn't been that united lately so unofficially speaking the government took advantage of that

Well this is what I mean by Maduro is either smarter than he gets credit for or.. the opposition is just truly dumb or not paying attention. I understand that the elections being months early is a bad move.. but this wasn't decided in a week. I found an article here, published on January 23rd that announced presidential elections for April 30th. Maybe that's little time, but its months in advance, more over.. the elections were always meant to have happened in 2018.. everyone's known this since the last election.. so here's where that line of "Snap elections" doesn't add up, if anything, they should have been ready earlier than needed and not absent.

Does that make sense?

And yes, it's the people of Venezuela, once again, the ones who are suffering by being pulled in both directions. No end in sight and no good outcome either way.
 
Well this is what I mean by Maduro is either smarter than he gets credit for or..
He is, but more than his persona, the team and the advice he gets from allies like Cuba.

the opposition is just truly dumb or not paying attention.
This is the case as well, trough the past 10 years we have witnessing this. Although is a little complex cuz the opposition is formed by different groups and institutions so its really hard for the 'good' or at least smart people to make mayor decisions as a whole without having internal conflicts. They were close to accomplish this back in 2012. And if we take the pathological scenario then wishful thinking has been one of their biggest mistake one example would be what you said: "Maduro is either smarter than he gets credit for" and year by year they always end up sub-estimating him.

so here's where that line of "Snap elections" doesn't add up, if anything, they should have been ready earlier than needed and not absent.
True, could be either again "wishful thinking" or that they have been planning something under the table all this time around and they are waiting for the right moment. And if it is the former one then sounds like is gonna be something really bad for the people.

Does that make sense?
It does, I have no concrete answer for all this. Mostly because I have almost the same doubts/thoughts :-/
 
True, could be either again "wishful thinking" or that they have been planning something under the table all this time around and they are waiting for the right moment. And if it is the former one then sounds like is gonna be something really bad for the people.

The opposition don't really go to the elections because they don't want to give any legitimacy to the democratic process - I believe they've said so themselves - but then the question is: how do they expect to improve their situation or take power away from Maduro? And the only thing I can think of is that they are counting on a regime change type of scenario, which is scary.
 
The opposition don't really go to the elections because they don't want to give any legitimacy to the democratic process - I believe they've said so themselves - but then the question is: how do they expect to improve their situation or take power away from Maduro? And the only thing I can think of is that they are counting on a regime change type of scenario, which is scary.

Yes, seems like that could be the only answer for that question. Otherwise would not make that much sense.
 
The opposition, as we've seen with their terrorism, aren't exactly 'democratic types'. I too think they're being manipulated into building momentum for a 'regime change' scenario.
 
The opposition, as we've seen with their terrorism, aren't exactly 'democratic types'. I too think they're being manipulated into building momentum for a 'regime change' scenario.


Yup, it sure looks like it! US media openly calling for Venezuela military coup

If you’ve followed American media in recent times, you will have probably heard that meddling in affairs of foreign nations is a bad thing — but it seems that view changes dramatically when the US is the one doing the meddling.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was reelected in May in what Washington wrote-off as a “sham” election. In response, the Trump administration slapped new sanctions on the South American country and seemingly won’t be happy until Maduro and his socialist regime packs up and disappears.

Confirming that it’s Washington’s way or the highway, a former US official who worked as assistant administrator for Latin America at the US Agency for International Development, under the Bush administration, has openly called for a military coup — and Foreign Policy magazine has obligingly published his thoughts.


José R. Cárdenas has argued that “dialogue or diplomacy cannot bring a resolution” and insists that a military coup is a more attractive option. It is up to the US, he writes, to convince the Venezuelan military that they “bear a unique responsibility to rescue their country from the abyss” and that they must stand up and get rid of Maduro by force. It is the military, he writes, that are best placed to “restore a legitimate constitutional democracy.”

So concerned with the plight of the Venezuelan people, Cárdenas also touts the benefits of “diplomatic and economic isolation” which surely would do wonders for ordinary citizens. Graciously, Cárdenas accepts that such a plan “entails risk”but argues that it is “unlikely” that the military would seek to govern permanently.



It's Time for a Coup in Venezuela


Rubio’s comments followed similar ones from then Secretary of State Rex Tillerson who hinted at a military coup during an appearance at the University of Texas — without actually using those explicit terms.

“In the history of Venezuela and South American countries, it is often times that the military is the agent of change when things are so bad and the leadership can no longer serve the people," Tillerson said.

But it’s not just government officials. Even the New York Times has gotten in on the action, publishing an editorial about how Maduro “must go” and discussing how best to “get rid of” him — although the paper of record managed to restrain itself slightly and did not call for an outright coup.

 
I was searching for where to put this. Maybe this is a good place.

What does
Jonestown Cult Victim’s Daughter Was Haunted Until Her Death: 'I Wish that Bullet that Got Mom Had Killed Me’

have to do with Venezuela? The Jonestown group moved to Guyana, which shares a border with Venezuela.

Connecting some dots.. How South America Became a Nazi Haven , which references Secret files reveal 9,000 Nazi war criminals fled to South America after WWII .

So, maybe the Jonestown people saw something flying in the night sky, that they couldn't be trusted to not tell the world about, and "had to" be suicide-d? Can you say "Secret Space Program".

Even Wikipedia (for all its problems) admits
Guyana achieved independence from the United Kingdom on 26 May 1966 and became a republic on 23 February 1970, remaining a member of the Commonwealth. The US State Department and the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), along with the British government, played a strong role in influencing political control in Guyana during this time.

Maybe?
 
16.06.2018 - At least 21 Reportedly Dead in Venezuelan Nightclub After Tear Gas Blast (Photos - Video)
At Least 21 Reportedly Dead in Venezuelan Nightclub After Tear Gas Blast (VIDEO)

A person activated a tear gas grenade inside the club, while 500 people were at the party. A probe has been launched into the incident.

Universal media outlet reported that the death toll in the blast at a nightclub in the Venezuelan capital had risen to 21.

Earlier in the day, Venezuelan Interior Minister Nestor Reverol said that at least 17 people died in a brawl at a Caracas nightclub early on Saturday morning.

Earlier in the day, some 500 people were at the Los Cotorros club, when a tear gas device went off during a brawl between several people.

Eleven people have reportedly suffocated to death, including the man, who threw the grenade, while there was a stampede toward the exits. The Venezolana de Television broadcaster reported that eight victims were underage.

An investigation into the incident has been underway, with 7 people already being arrested, according to the interior minister.

The government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, led by President Nicolas Maduro, deplores this unfortunate event. We send our condolences to the families," he said.

Other visitors of the club were delivered to nearby hospitals. No further details have been immediately available.
 
Major development for Venezuela workers ...

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro announced on Wednesday a 103% increase in the total minimum wage in the context of hyperinflation that afflicts the South American revolutionary country.

Jun 21, 2018 - Maduro announces doubling of minimum wage, warns Colombia not to start a war
Maduro announces doubling of minimum wage, warns Colombia not to start a war - Fort Russ

“From today, workers will receive a full 103% increase,” Maduro told an event in Caracas to celebrate the first year of the Chamba Juvenil social program, which provides training and jobs for young people.

“From today, workers will receive a full 103% increase,” Maduro told an event in Caracas to celebrate the first year of the Chamba Juvenil social program, which provides training and jobs for young people.

The minimum integral salary increased from 2,555,500 bolivars to 5,196,0000 bolivars, that is, from US $0.94 to US $1.92, according to the parallel market exchange rate, which governs most traders to prices.

May inflation reached 110% according to the National Assembly, which publishes monthly data since the Central Bank stopped doing so in 2015.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) estimated that Venezuela will end this year with an inflation of 13.864% and a 15% drop in its Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

This comes as the revolutionary state faces immense pressure from the American Empire and its vassal states such as Colombia.

Maduro last week accused Colombia of preparing “incidents” aimed at creating an armed conflict between the two nations.

“A series of incidents and provocations of a military nature are being prepared by the Colombian government of Juan Manuel Santos from Colombian territory and within Venezuelan territory to generate an armed conflict between Colombia and Venezuela,” said the president.

Maduro made the remarks during an event at the Military Academy in Fort Tiuna, west of Caracas, with officers of the Bolivarian National Armed Forces.

The Venezuelan leader sent a message to Colombia’s military and police forces not to lend themselves to the “traps” of President Santos, who leaves office on August 7.

“[Santos] wants to leave a military conflict to do the favor of US imperialism against the independent and sovereign Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela,” Maduro said.

Likewise, the Venezuelan head of state said he trusted the Colombian military so they would not lend themselves to a “sibling conflict”.

In addition, he has asked the military corps of his country to raise their guard across the border and take intelligence measures to ensure peace throughout their territory.


Jun 18, 2018 - Meet the new puppet! Everything you need to know about Colombia’s new president
Meet the new puppet! Everything you need to know about Colombia's new president - Fort Russ

Iván Duque was elected as the new president of Colombia after the second round of elections on Sunday. He defeated Gustavo Petro, former mayor of Bogota and was supported by current president Juan Manuel Santos.

At 41, Duke will take office on August 7. He is a fierce critic of the peace agreement with the revolutionary Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC), which secured the Nobel Peace Prize for Santos.

“What we Colombians want is for those who have committed crimes against humanity to be punished with proportional punishment … so that there is no impunity,” Duque told AFP during the campaign.

A lawyer and also a graduate in economics, Duque defends “structural changes” in the agreement with the former guerrilla group that turned into a political party, the Common Revolutionary Force, maintaining the acronym FARC.

The conflict between the revolutionary group and its counterparts like the National Liberation Army (ELN) against the state has left more than 260,000 dead, 83,000 missing and forced displacement of 7.4 million.

Duque protested against the Colombian left, expressing fears that it could drag the country to the same economic swamp in which neighboring Venezuela is mired, while ignoring the intense international sanctions against the Bolivarian state.

The left, in turn, accuses him of being a puppet of Alvaro Uribe, the former two-term president who took a hard line against the left when he was in power eight years ago.

“No one knows if they have their own criteria or whether they will obey orders,” said Fabian Acuna, a political analyst at the Javeriana University in Cali, when speaking about Duque.

Although he is a newcomer to politics – he has been a senator since 2014 – politics is in his blood.

He was born in Bogotá on August 1, 1976, and his father was a liberal politician.

But it was Santos, the retiring president, who highlighted Duque’s role in the 1990s by employing him as a financial adviser. Later, Duque worked for 13 years for the Inter-American Development Bank, based in Washington.

Today, Duque is in opposition to Santos on the peace agreement.

“He’s very dynamic when it comes to public relations, very clever,” said a former Duque co-worker.

While working in the United States, Duque met Uribe, who persuaded him to run for the Senate.

“Ivan is very intelligent and I’m sure he has a bright future ahead,” Uribe wrote in his 2012 book “No Causes Lost.”

But for Roy Barreras, a Santos party senator, “a president must have experience, autonomy, political ability – all lost items with Ivan, who is, as everyone knows, a good little boy.”

A father of three, Duque used to play bass in a rock band, but his relaxed image contrasts sharply with his conservative ideals – he is a strong opponent of gay marriage, euthanasia, and drug decriminalization.

He has strong support from the far right as well as from an increasingly influential evangelical Christian bloc.


Jun 14, 2018 - UN trains Brazilian military to prevent sexual abuse of Venezuelan refugees
UN trains Brazilian military to prevent sexual abuse of Venezuelan refugees - Fort Russ

More than 170 soldiers from the Brazilian Army participated this week in a UN course on protection against sexual exploitation and abuse in northern Brazil.

The purpose of the training is to combat the crime of sexual abuse in situations of forced displacement and mixed migration flows that bring together refugees and migrants, as is the case of Venezuelans who arrive in Brazil through the State of Roraima.

Political scientist Ana Cláudia Pereira, a project officer on gender, race and ethnicity, from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) said that these training courses are not only given to the Armed Forces, but also to UN officials, to apply “standards” to eliminate sexual abuse and exploitation.

In a context like this, we have a group of people in great vulnerability with a concentration of people who take humanitarian aid, a service in the context of emergency, it becomes more necessary,” he said.

According to her, the idea, in the first place, is to present the internationally agreed standards of performance by the United Nations.
“These standards include, for example, that there is no sexual relationship, sexual contact, with people under the age of 18. Although Brazilian law allows for a consensual relationship in some of these cases, in the case of internationally law, under 18 years old is prohibited,” explained the expert.

Ana Claudia also stressed the prohibition of the exchange of goods or money for sexual favors, understanding that this implies a very unequal situation between the people who are depending on the help and those who are helping.

The objective of the initiative is to promote an environment in which” these [refugees] are protected and that as many armed forces as the different actors involved act as protectors and not as violators of rights,” she said.

The Social Communication Advisor of the Army’s Humanitarian Logistics Task Force for the State of Roraima, Lieutenant Colonel Rodrigo de Lima Gonçalves, explained that the main challenges in relation to dealing with refugees “are of all kinds” by the fact that these people drop everything to go to Brazil in search of a new life.
“The military, aware of this situation of vulnerability and already trained … they can contribute to the prevention of these acts, exploitation and abuse, slavery itself, and xenophobia that happens in many cases,” said the lieutenant colonel.

Commenting on the receptivity of Venezuelan refugees to the activities of the Brazilian military, Rodrigo de Lima said that the response of the immigrants is “very good”. “At a time when these people are vulnerable and marginalized, they find themselves destitute on the streets and are the target of coordinated, organized actions, finding a friendly hand in our military, giving them, when we have a vacancy in shelters, a roof , food, providing a safe service so they wait to begin a new life … the receptivity is very good,” he explained.

“The Venezuelan people look at the military, the soldiers of the Armed Forces, in a very positive way. This is the impression I have … They have a great expectation that we will continue to provide this support, and this support will be given if the Brazilian State stays determined,” added the lieutenant colonel.
 
The minimum integral salary increased from 2,555,500 bolivars to 5,196,0000 bolivars, that is, from US $0.94 to US $1.92, according to the parallel market exchange rate, which governs most traders to prices.

The info is not complete, the salary is 2 dollars per MONTH, Yes this is kind of joke, but no. I earn 8 $/ month but a toothpaste cost 1 $, so people here lives either in total misery if you don't have external help from relatives outside the country, or earns in dollars. Venezuela is reduced to the level of an African country in any matter. I remember when I was child that in TV was common to hear that in some african countries, people worked hard to ear 2 $/day, but this is 2/month!!! this is crazy!!!
In the meantime some maduristic politicians fight against the imperialism with shoes of 800 $ bought in the USA. As the tweet says " an employee would have to work 33 years to buy a pair if these"
 
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