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The Caracas Courant
[AlJazeera] Pressure is intensifying for Venezuela's government as people continue taking to the streets in some of the country's largest known protests, calling for a recall referendum that will put an end to President Nicolas Maduro's reign. Basic commodities have become a rarity, inflation is at an all-time high and crime is also on the rise.  In response, Maduro is tightening the screws on the media yet again. Foreign journalists, local reporters and even drone images were denied access and permissions to cover 'the taking of Caracas' protest march. The Angry 80 Percent [The Economist] “WE ARE the 80%!” declared Henrique Capriles, governor of the Venezuelan state of Miranda and a leader of the opposition to the country’s autocratic left-wing government. He was one of a parade of speakers who took to a makeshift stage at the Miranda sports complex in Caracas on September 26th to rail against the regime. The week before it had taken steps that will make it far more difficult to remove the president, Nicolás Maduro, by constitutional means. Protests will start immediately, said the opposition Democratic Unity alliance (MUD). October 12th will be “a special day of national mobilisation”. It will be followed by the “real conquest of Venezuela”, on October 26th-28th. Those are the days fixed by the national electoral council (CNE) to record public support for launching a referendum to recall Mr Maduro. According to one recent poll, 84% would vote to remove Mr Maduro from office. But the regime is manoeuvring to ensure they do not get that chance, or that it happens too late to trigger a fresh presidential election. Despite economic catastrophe and popular rage, the government is finding ways to cling to power. Concern as Venezuela Refuses to Accept Aid [NYT] On the sidelines of a peace ceremony in Colombia, President Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela and Secretary of State John Kerry met for the kind of brief exchange that, under normal circumstances, might have been the start of a thaw after years of icy relations. But these are not normal circumstances: Venezuela’s economic and political crises have left it more isolated than it has been in years — and not just from the United States. Shortages of food and medicine have left Peru calling for a bloc of countries to pressure Mr. Maduro to accept humanitarian donations, something that he declines to do. Mercosur, the South American trade bloc, has threatened to expel Venezuela over human rights violations and not complying with its trade laws. And even the State Department, after Mr. Kerry’s meeting with Mr. Maduro, issued a statement indicating that the men’s encounter in Cartagena was not a photo op but rather Mr. Kerry’s chance to express “our concern about the economic and political challenges that have affected millions of Venezuelans.” The year, marked by economic collapse, has been one of the most unstable for Venezuela, leading to fears among diplomats who now struggle for ways to reach out to a country whose leftist leaders have closed ranks. Other countries are voicing concern about Venezuela’s humanitarian crisis, asking Mr. Maduro to simply accept assistance. This month, the new Peruvian president, Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, called for a group of countries including Chile, Argentina and Colombia to begin sending drugs and food. Yet he did not seem hopeful. “Now Maduro doesn’t want that because he says everything is perfect in Venezuela, but that’s not true, everybody knows that,” he said in a recent television interview. “And the second thing is there has to be pressure in a nice way, without trying to interfere too much. There has to be some kind of moral persuasion.”
Posted by: Pappy 2016-10-03 |
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