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Created: Thursday, 07 May 2015 20:25

Written by Other Sources

Published on 5 May 2015 by venezuelanalysis.com 

The Venezuelan government sent a technical humanitarian mission to Nepal on Friday to determine the country’s needs after the 25 April earthquake and resulting aftershocks, which left over 7500 dead.

The mission is made up of a medical team, two forensic engineers, and three specialists who will conduct a 20 day evaluation concerning how the Venezuelan government may best meet Nepali needs. 

The 7.8 quake was the most devastating natural disaster afflicting the Himalayan nation in 80 years, leaving over 14,000 injured and hundreds of thousands without homes, according to official estimates. The death count continues to climb, reaching over 7500 on Tuesday morning.

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Created: Sunday, 19 April 2015 18:17

Written by Other Sources

Following an international initiative for a global day of action in solidarity with Venezuela, branches of the Revolutionary Communist Group responded with solidarity actions around the country. 19 April 2015 marks the 205th anniversary of the first declaration of Venezuelan independence from Spain in 1810. The global actions coincided with marches and rallies across Venezuela, declaring their defiance against imperialist intervention, the US decree and the latest round of US sanctions.  

 In Lewisham, anti-austerity and anti-cuts campaigners from South London RCG held a street stall in solidarity with Venezuela. 

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Created: Monday, 06 April 2015 16:59

Written by Other Sources

Published on 5 April 2015 by TeleSUR English

There has been a groundswell of oppostion in Venezuela and internationally to the latest US aggression.

A petition launched in Venezuela opposing President Barack Obama’s latest sanctions and the labelling of Venezuela as a national security threat has topped 8 million signatures, it was announced Sunday.

Sign and share the online petition HERE 

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Created: Thursday, 02 April 2015 21:09

Written by Other Sources

Published by Hands off Venezuela on 31 March 2015

One wonders how many mistakes, glaring omissions and biased statements can one fit in just two paragraphs of just 88 words. When it comes to Venezuela, the answer is, a lot. On Friday, 27 of March, the Guardian published a piece called Democracy behind bars: 11 opposition leaders facing jail or death”, which was “sponsored by Crown Agents”. First in the list of 11 “democratic opposition leaders” facing jail or death around the world is Venezuela’s Leopoldo Lopez.

Immediately below this headline is a big picture of Leopoldo López, giving the impression that he himself is potentially facing a death sentence. The writer is probably unaware that Venezuela was the first country in the world still in existence to abolish the death penalty, back in 1863. In contrast, in Britain it was not fully abolished until 1998 and of course in the US is still widely used. But, as they say, why let the facts get in the way of a striking headline?

The section on Leopoldo López opens with a quote from the Harvard graduate regarding a political disqualificaion which saw him banned from running for public office. A quote which is totally unrelated to the reasons why he is currently in jail. López is disqualified from standing for public office for his role in two separate corruption scandals. The first goes back to 1998, when he worked as an analyst at the state-owned oil company PDVSA and his mother, a PDVSA manager, signed a donation to the Primero Justicia NGO, which Leopoldo López was a member of (and which later became the Primero Justicia political party, of which Lopez was one of the main leaders). The second corruption scandal is related to the irregular use of funds when he was Mayor of Chacao. All that the first paragraph of the Guardian article proves, therefore, is that Leopoldo Lopez was involved in two corruption scandals and, as a result, is barred from standing for public office until 2017.

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Created: Thursday, 02 April 2015 21:03

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Published on 24 March 2015 by Mision Verdad translation by venezuelanalysis.com

Different media outlets and social media accounts have been stirring up a series of rumours, alleged confirmations and pseudo-confirmations regarding several cases of child abduction, with some even providing an astonishing level of detail. However, outside of the realm of the corporate media, no reports have been filed with either state security forces or with the Public Prosecutor’s Office. Since the end of February and the beginning of March, rumours have been circulating in the exceedingly malleable world of Facebook and through chains in other networks such as Blackberry Pin and Whatsapp Chat. 

Today, March 24th, a ridiculous protest was reported in Petare (in the East of Caracas) denouncing the attempted abduction of a child, without a shred of evidence confirming this or other cases. The logic of the Tweeting middle classes assume it to be true, simply because it happened “there” in Petare (working class neighbourhood/barrio) without it even being verified.

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Created: Tuesday, 17 March 2015 22:08

Written by Other Sources

Published on 6 March 2015 by TeleSUR English

The 4th extraordinary summit of the Petrocaribe bloc of nations closed in Caracas, Venezuela on 6th March. 

The summit, attended by 17 delegates from member states, generated several important decisions for the Caribbean bloc’s future, one of which was the decision to create an economic zone, and another was a focus on regional peace: “We reaffirm that the Caribbean is peaceful region, where member states promote integration processes and friendship, to keep guaranteeing the greatest amount of happiness for our people.” The final decisions of the bloc affirmed that “the founding spirit of Petrocaribe is to be a mechanism of solidarity, cooperation and friendship between the peoples of our region."

Initiated as a pact to assist in the economic and social development of countries in the region, Petrocaribe is primarily an effort to alleviate the economic dependence experienced by many small developing countries in the Caribbean and Central America. Petrocaribe is the brainchild of the late Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who understood that social and economic development in lower income countries of the region was hindered by the need to spend on an indispensable resource – oil.

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Created: Tuesday, 17 March 2015 21:49

Written by Other Sources

Published on 16 March 2015 by www.venezuelanalysis.com

 Over 100,000 Venezuelans mobilized throughout the country for a series of national military exercises in defense of their national sovereignty on Saturday.

Organized by the Ministry of Defense, the exercise comes in response to an executive order issued by the Obama administration last week branding Venezuela an “unusual and extraordinary threat” and sanctioning seven top Bolivarian officials. 

“The defense of the motherland is the duty of all Venezuelans, which should be taken up by private enterprises, public institutions, and all instances of the government and the state,” declared defense minister Vladimir Padrino López from the capital’s principal military installation at Fuerte Tiuna. 

The exercise featured the participation of 20,000 civilian volunteers who joined an additional 80,000 soldiers of the Bolivarian National Armed Forces in nationwide preparations for a potential U.S. aggression against the Bolivarian Republic. 

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Created: Monday, 09 March 2015 17:50

Written by Other Sources

As part of an international week of action, on Saturday 7 March, activists from the Revolutionary Communist Group brought solidarity with Venezuela to their weekly action against the privatisation of Whittington Hospital in Archway, London. 

While the Government is happy to bail the banks out to the tune of £1.5 trillion, it has imposed £18 million cuts on the hospital, which is literally the lifeblood of the community. The board are slashing vital jobs and services while at the same time paying city consultants Ernst & Young £426,000 to carry out an audit of the hospital and a further £500,000 consultancy fees to a former car parts company, Unipart.

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Created: Sunday, 08 March 2015 18:13

Written by Other Sources

Published on 6 March 2015 by www.venezuelanalysis.com

Thousands of Venezuelans gathered in the Plaza Bolívar in the center of Caracas yesterday to commemorate the second anniversary of the death of late president Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías with an 'Anti-Imperialist Peoples' Court.'

Although the occasion was solemn, the mood was joyous, as innumerable red-clothed bodies celebrated with smiles, laughter, and boisterous chants the life and legacy of the leader they call the 'Eternal Comandante.'

"The legacy of Comandante Hugo Chávez is life, it's life for those families, those people who were always excluded from the services of healthcare, education, [etc.]. The legacy of Hugo Chávez is the guarantee of living well, of being able to study, to have free healthcare, and everything else,"

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Created: Sunday, 08 March 2015 18:08

Written by Other Sources

Activists from the Revolutionary Communist Group, Britain, held a street meeting on 7 March in Newcastle upon Tyne as part of an International week of solidarity with Venezuela called by Los Pueblos con Venezuela

Capitalism is in crisis - cuts for the poor, bailouts for the rich, squeezing out profits as governments impose privatisation and austerity across Europe whilst intensifying exploitation war and occupation of underdeveloped countries in a scramble for resources. Humanity is at a cross roads, the choice is stark – build socialism or face never-ending austerity, racism and war. The Bolivarian Revolution in Venezuela demonstrates what can be achieved when people take a stand against austerity and imperialism!

During the 15 years of the Bolivarian Revolution, Venezuela alongside Socialist Cuba has been at the forefront of regional integration, contributing to healthcare, education and mutual development projects across Latin America, opposing neo-liberalism and private profit. This defiance has brought Venezuela into the cross hairs, today the inspiring achievements of the Venezuelan revolution are threatened by a violent, right-wing opposition backed and directly funded by US and European interests to the tune of $90 million.

Venezuela, alongside socialist Cuba is spearheading a movement for socialism across Latin America, challenging imperialism and neo-liberal exploitation, demanding dignity and human development over profit and private interests. Venezuela remains a beacon of hope and inspiration for movements across the globe.
Hands off Venezuela! their fight is our fight- Break the media blockade!

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Created: Saturday, 14 February 2015 11:52

Written by Other Sources

Published on 12 February 2014 by TeleSUR English

'The War on Venezuela's democracy'

Coup plotters planned on assassinating the Venezuelan president and installing a de facto government.

A coup plot against the Venezuelan government has been foiled, with both civilians and members of the military detained, President Nicolas Maduro revealed Thursday in a televised address.

Those involved were being paid in U.S. dollars, and one of the suspects had been granted a visa to enter the United States should the plot fail, Maduro said.

Venezuela’s president stated that the coup plotters already had a “transitional” government and program lined up once the plan, which included bombings on the Miraflores Palace and the teleSUR offices in Caracas, as well as assassinations of members of the opposition, Maduro and others, was carried out.

Maduro explained that a video of masked military officials speaking out against the government had been recorded, which was set to be released after the planned assassination was carried out.

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Created: Saturday, 14 February 2015 11:40

Written by Other Sources

Published on 7 February 2015 by TeleSUR English

Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro handed over 3,456 homes to families in the Carabobo state Friday, as part of the Great Housing Mission Venezuela (GMVV).

Maduro said that Hugo Chavez Socialist City urbanization, where the new homes are located, has schools, sports fields, a subsidized food market and numerous green spaces for residents. The homes are also fully equipped with appliances including refrigerators, ovens and washing machines.

The president added that each housing complex in the urbanization must develop socio-productive projects to help the community to meet their immediate needs.

“This is Chavez's dream, it is the people's dream, the dream of the territorial socialism, all our children and all our people can enjoy the dream of the Bolivarian Revolution,” Maduro said.

Former President Hugo Chavez created the GMVV in 2011 in order to ensure quality homes to Venezuelans, given that hundreds of thousands live in improvised housing due to lack of investment from governments prior to the Bolivarian revolution.

The program is especially geared to families affected by the heavy rains in 2010 and 2011. So far, 677,400 homes have been delivered across the country, with Maduro saying that as many as 400,000 will be constructed and turned over to families in 2015.

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Created: Tuesday, 03 February 2015 20:55

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By Eva Golinger. Published on 2 February 2015 by counterpunch

There is a coup underway in Venezuela. The pieces are all falling into place like a bad CIA movie. At every turn a new traitor is revealed, a betrayal is born, full of promises to reveal the smoking gun that will justify the unjustifiable. Infiltrations are rampant, rumors spread like wildfire, and the panic mentality threatens to overcome logic. Headlines scream danger, crisis and imminent demise, while the usual suspects declare covert war on a people whose only crime is being gatekeeper to the largest pot of black gold in the world.

This week, as the New York Times showcased an editorial degrading and ridiculing Venezuelan President Maduro, labeling him “erratic and despotic” (“Mr. Maduro in his Labyrinth”, NYT January 26, 2015), another newspaper across the Atlantic headlined a hack piece accusing the President of Venezuela’s National Assembly, Diosdado Cabello, and the most powerful political figure in the country after Maduro, of being a narcotics kingpin (“The head of security of the number two Chavista defects to the U.S. and accuses him of drug trafficking”, ABC, January 27, 2015). The accusations stem from a former Venezuelan presidential guard officer, Leasmy Salazar, who served under President Chavez and was recruited by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), now becoming the new “golden child” in Washington’s war on Venezuela.

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Created: Monday, 26 January 2015 23:44

Written by Other Sources

Published on 24 January by www.venezuelanalysis.com

On Friday, thousands took to the streets of the Venezuelan capital to commemorate the 57th anniversary of the toppling of the Pérez Jiménez dictatorship as well as to voice their support for the government of President Nicolás Maduro in the face of economic war and political destabilization.

Setting out in the morning from Plaza Fabricio Ojeda in the historic 23 de Enero neighborhood, a combative barrio itself named after the date of Pérez Jiménez’s ousting, the march concluded in the Plaza O’Leary in El Calvario, where the President spoke and led a spirited rally, amidst a sea of red banners.

 Shortages and the “Economic War”

Friday’s march comes in the midst of severe inflation and widespread shortages of basic goods, which President Maduro has termed an “economic war” that is reportedly being waged against the Bolivarian government by elements of the opposition. The President accused distributors of hoarding everyday products and presented them with an ultimatum to cooperate or face “tough measures.”

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Created: Tuesday, 06 January 2015 23:13

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Published on 24 December 2014 by Steve Ellner - New Left Project

Nearly two years after the death of Hugo Chávez, the key question that many on the left are debating, in Venezuela and elsewhere, is whether his successors have been true to his legacy, or whether the ‘revolutionary process’ initiated more than a decade ago has now stalled or even been thrown into reverse. The recent emergence of a number of pressing problems has convinced some Chavistas that the revolution has either been betrayed or, at best, that President Nicolás Maduro is severely lacking in Chávez’s political acumen. High on the list of difficulties are the chronic shortages of numerous consumer goods and products, including basic ones, as well as an annual inflation rate of over 60 percent. Both of these, Maduro claims, are part of an ‘economic war’ being waged by powerful interests to destabilize Venezuela. The government’s difficulties include the universally recognized problem of corruption.

Of course, these scourges were also prevalent under Chávez, but with less intensity, and in any case he faced them head on. His response to the shortages of basic commodities – which became particularly severe in 2007, influencing the outcome of the referendum on proposed constitutional reform – was to decree widespread expropriations. In 2009 he faced the problem of corruption that led to a major financial crisis by jailing at least 16 bankers, including the brother of a trusted cabinet minister, and ordering the arrest of over 40 others who fled the country, while at the same time nationalizing 13 banks.

Radical Chavistas point out that Maduro is lacking in audacity of this type. They criticize, for instance, the decision to replace the Chavista slogan ‘Chávez Lives, the Struggle Continues!’ with ‘Chávez Lives, the Homeland Continues!’ as indicative of political retreat and a lessening of the leadership’s revolutionary fervour. One Chavista radical concluded that, given this type of rhetorical modification, ‘Chávez is facing a second death.’ [1] The radicals also questioned the rationale behind the proposed ‘peace dialogue’ with opposition leaders and the business sector, designed to control the violent protests that shook Venezuela in early 2014. They were convinced that underlying these conversations were concessions to the historical enemies of the Bolivarian revolution. Antonio Aponte and Toby Valderrama, an ex-guerrilla of the 1960s whom Maduro has attacked personally, wrote ‘It’s time for self-criticism: we wanted to avoid sacrifices and so we extended our hand to the bourgeoisie, the enemies of peace… we wanted to control the capitalist monster that is uncontrollable.’ [2] 

These critiques raise the question of how to evaluate a government committed to taking the gradual democratic road to far-reaching change in the context of extreme polarization and conflict. Is a period of lull in the deepening of change, including compromises with adversaries, necessarily a sign that all has been lost, as those who invoke the term ‘permanent revolution’ often argue? Certainly, history is replete with examples of governments committed to structural transformation that, after initial advances, begin to backslide and end up completely abandoning the struggle. On the other hand, Lenin’s slogan of ‘one step backwards to take two steps forward’ (in reference to the New Economic Policy) may be applicable to Venezuela under Maduro, as some Chavista moderates suggest. Finally, what are the issues we should be looking at in evaluating the Maduro government’s claim to have inherited Chávez’s revolutionary mantle? And what are the issues that are not particularly germane to this discussion but that some on the left are raising in a misguided attempt to define the ideological orientation of the Maduro government?

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Created: Tuesday, 06 January 2015 23:05

Written by FRFI

Published on 31 December 2014  by venezuelanalysis.com

The Venezuelan government has published previously withheld data revealing that the economy entered a recession in the second quarter of this year. However President Nicolas Maduro said significant changes to Venezuela’s economic model were being planned and that an economic “recovery plan” would be implemented in early 2015.

State of the economy

A report released by the Venezuelan Central Bank (BCV) on 30 December showed that the economy contracted this year by -4.8% in the first quarter, -4.9% in Q2, and -2.3% in Q3.

The slowdown occurred in the context of a series of economic problems facing the South American OPEC nation, which include an increasingly overvalued fixed-rate currency, shortages of many basic products including some food and medicines, and Bolivarian-era record annual inflation of 63.6% as of November.

These problems have been compounded by a fall in the oil price from US $99 per barrel in June to $48 yesterday, effectively reducing the government’s foreign export revenue by 50%. Oil sales account for almost all of the country’s foreign earnings.

The inflation statistics were published after a three month absence. According to newspaper El Universal’s report on the data, inflation in food prices is far higher than overall inflation, at 92.8% annually.

The BCV also reported that despite these negative trends, Venezuela registered a trade surplus in the first three quarters of 2014 of $6.811 billion, reflecting a positive balance of payments. International reserves are $20,890 billion.

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Created: Friday, 19 December 2014 18:58

Written by Other Sources

Published on 19 December 2014 collated from  www.venezuelanalysis.com

In the same week as re-establishing diplomatic relations with Cuba, U.S. president Barack Obama has just signed in legislation to impose sanctions on Venezuelan government officials. After the United States congress approved sanctions on Venezuela last week, President Barack Obama signed them on Thursday, thereby punishing Venezuelan government officials.

The U.S claims the sanctions are in retaliation for the so called repressive or violent role of government officials earlier this year. Some opposition supporters participated in blockades, burning of over a hundred public buses, stations, and buildings, sharp shooter targeting of Chavista marchers, and physical and verbal attacks on people trying to get to school or hospitals in February, March, and April this year. Forty-three people were killed, the majority being civilians and members of the pro-government national guard.

Pro-revolution Venezuelans responded to the sanctions in mass demonstrations on Monday, flooding the streets and social media platforms with ant-imperialist messages.

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Created: Friday, 12 December 2014 22:43

Written by Other Sources

Published on 9 December 2014 by TeleSUR English

Venezuela has approved the creation of a new national council for people with disabilities in an attempt to eliminate the stigma around such communities, announced President Nicolas Maduro in a national address late Monday. 

The Presidential Council for People with Disabilities was created to strengthen the participation of disabled persons in state and societal affairs, as well as increase awareness and eliminate discrimination towards disabled individuals across the country. 

In the past months, Venezuela has tried to address the needs of the country's large disabled community.

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Created: Friday, 12 December 2014 22:33

Written by Other Sources

Published on 3 November by www.venezuelanalysis.com

In an announcement made on 28 November , Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro pledged to slash spending in certain areas, such as senior government officials’ salaries, while swearing “we will never cut one bolivar of what we spend on education, food, housing... on our people.”

On 2 December the South American leader authorized a 20% cut in what he denominated “discretionary and luxury spending” in order to “maximize resources” in the face of the tumbling price of oil, which has already seen a 30% decrease in Venezuela’s hard cash income.

To determine what expenses are superfluous, Maduro has assembled a committee for efficient spending.

The president urged Venezuelans to see the measure as a tool for “deepening our strategic methods of savings and the optimization of resources… we must take advantage of this crisis.”

Maduro also mentioned plans to modify the Sicad II currency exchange system, in the hopes to create a “true, new alternative” for citizens to access dollars at a preferential rate by minimizing the amount of paperwork required to participate.

“We’re going to be delivering a blow to the parallel dollar,” Maduro warned.

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Created: Thursday, 20 November 2014 22:59

Written by Other Sources

Abridged from two articles published on 19 and 20 November by www.venezuelanalysis.com

On 18 November,  Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro passed 28 laws by means of the enabling law, which permits executive action without parliamentary approval. The bills, 16 of which were revealed in Tuesday’s promulgation ceremony, make up a comprehensive economic reform directed at industry, agriculture, tourism and tax revenue.

During the live broadcast from the Miraflores presidential palace, President Maduro called the new measures “enabling laws to diversify the economy, to guarantee its growth, and to gain stability in the face of an economic war.”

In recent months, Maduro has gone after buhoneros, or those who buy regulated goods in bulk to re-sell for a profit on the street, and contrabandistas; those who smuggle food and gasoline across land and sea borders. An estimated 40 percent of subsidized goods are removed from Venezuela through the latter method, making it one of the main drivers of scarcity.

However, with these latest statutes, the Venezuelan president is poised to be threaten the stronghold of those elite families and powerful companies who he believes have waged “economic war” on the government, by manipulating the economy to their political and financial gain.

The Anti-Monopoly Law was presented yesterday as a means to “create mechanisms to regulate those positions of power in the market which exercise control over the greater economy.”

Additionally, Venezuela’s upper class will be hardest hit by a series of tax reforms. On top of the pre-existing 12 percent consumer tax (IVA), one law introduces a 15 percent additional tax on “luxury items.”

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Created: Thursday, 13 November 2014 14:41

Written by Other Sources

Published on 11 November 2014 by TeleSUR - Venezuela analysis

Last week, Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro announced the beginning of the Yasser Arafat Scholarship Programme, which aims to train 1000 Palestinians in various fields.

The first delegation of 119 students arrived in Venezuela on Thursday to begin their studies in medicine at the Dr. Salvador Allende Latin American Medical School.

“We will train at least 1,000 Palestinian students,” Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro announced after the delegation arrived in Caracas. “I just ordered the Ministry of Education to expand the program not just in medicine, we also will enable them to study engineering, architecture and every field of knowledge.”

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Created: Wednesday, 05 November 2014 16:50

Written by Other Sources

Published on 4 November 2014 by Venezuela Analysis

On Monday, Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro announced his approval of a workers’ proposal to increase the minimum wage by 15% starting December 1st. 

The new wage will be 4,889 bolivars per month (US$776 at the official exchange rate of 6.3)

This marks the third hike in salaries approved in 2014, making the current minimum wage 64.5% higher than at the start of the year. However, this latest announcement brings workers’ salaries just above the rate of inflation, which reached 63.4% during that same period.

An additional adjustment to the denominator used to calculate food tickets, which are mandatorily issued by employers and used like cash at most major supermarkets, increases workers’ access to items hardest hit by inflation. 

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Created: Wednesday, 05 November 2014 16:45

Written by Other Sources

On Tuesday the Venezuelan Foreign Office announced the government’s decision to recall their ambassador to Spain, Mario Isea Bohórquez, for consultations. A hardline opposition leader, currently imprisoned and facing charges of inciting violence, refused to attend his own trial yesterday in in an attempt to pressure the government to respond to a United Nations request for his immediate release.

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Created: Thursday, 23 October 2014 22:06

Written by Other Sources

Published on 16 October 2014 by Venezuela Analysis

All eight men who participated in the murder of pro-government lawmaker Robert Serra have been identified, said Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro in a press conference.

“This assassination was being prepared for over three months. It was directed by a Colombian whose legal identity we have not yet revealed. A Colombian paramilitary meticulously directed the whole preparation process of the crime. He used a gang directed by another thuggish murderer, Padilla Leyva, alias “Colombia,” Maduro told local and international media.

The Venezuelan president showed cctv footage of how six men entered Robert Serra’s house on Wednesday 1 October, saying that in five to six minutes both Serra and his assistant Maria Herrera were stabbed to death. Two other men waited outside with getaway vehicles.

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Created: Thursday, 23 October 2014 21:59

Written by Other Sources

Published on 22 October 2014 by Telesur English

Venezuelan President, Nicolas Maduro, reiterated that the government´s priority would be to safeguard the social rights of the people.

The Venezuelan government has released its preliminary budget for 2015, pledging to increase social spending in the coming year despite a drop in oil prices. 

Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro, said he held the U.S. government responsible for the fall in the value of oil, stating that the Obama administration had irresponsibly flooded the global market. He said the country was being subjected to an economic blockade by North American imperialism and international capitalism. 

The new budget will require governors of the country´s 23 states to dedicate 60 percent of the resources distributed to them by the central government to public services, as well as to invest 30 percent in projects which produce goods and services for the benefit of Venezuelan society. The move is designed to increase employment and boost national production in a bid to minimise the country´s reliance on imports. 

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Created: Thursday, 16 October 2014 18:11

Written by Other Sources

Published on 16 October 2014 by www.venezuelanalysis.com

Venezuela today gained a non permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council.

“Victory for the nation in the UN, I say thank you in the name of our people to the 181 countries that supported us for the Security Council,” tweeted Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro.

New Zealand, Angola and Malaysia were also elected to non permanent seats. Turkey and Spain failed to garner enough support for their bids in the first ballot. The term lasts for two years from 1 January 2015.

Venezuela was unopposed for the place on the council allocated to Latin America and the Caribbean, however several leading U.S. media outlets had lobbied against Nicolas Maduro’s leftwing administration gaining the seat.

The five permanent members of the Security Council are the U.S., U.K., France, Russia and China, while other countries are elected to the ten non permanent seats on a rolling basis of five per year.

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Created: Monday, 13 October 2014 22:27

Written by FRFI

Published on 10 October by TeleSUR English

This first video released 2 weeks ago details a terrorist plot against Venezuela lead by Lorent Saleh

A new video published on Thursday shines further light on the violent destabilisation plans of sectors of Venezuela’s opposition.

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Created: Sunday, 05 October 2014 14:45

Written by Other Sources

Published on 3 October 2014 by http://venezuelanalysis.com/news/10944

The murder of Robert Serra, a young legislator of the PSUV (United Socialist Party of Venezuela), who was killed in his home along with his companion Maria Herrera late Wednesday night, is tied to a right-wing terrorist plot, government officials stated yesterday.  Thousands filled the streets of Caracas yesterday and late last night to honor Serra’s memory.  President Maduro vowed to take “swift action” against “terrorist acts.”

In response to opposition claims that Serra's death was a result of an isolated or common crime, Miguel Rodriguez Torres, Minister of Interior Relations, stated that, “We're not dealing with unfortunate events committed by a common criminal. We are dealing with an intentional murder, planned and executed with great precision...According to the evidence obtained everything points to a planned , organized and detailed [assassination] technique. ”

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Created: Sunday, 05 October 2014 14:41

Written by Other Sources

Published on 2 October 2014 Cory Fischer-Hoffman www.venezuelanalysis.com

In the face of arrests, trials, and detentions of opposition and student leaders, allegations of political repression in Venezuela are circulating international and private national press.  The Venezuelan government and its supporters adamantly reject the claim that Venezuela has any political prisoners and they assert that everyone in detention is being tried for their involvement in criminal conduct. This article aims to explore the issue of political prisoners in Venezuela by providing a broader historical context combined with an analysis of power in Venezuela today.

“Freedom for Political Prisoners” is spray-painted throughout wealthy neighborhoods in Caracas. The right-wing opposition has claimed that their leader, jailed politician Leopoldo Lopez was imprisoned for his beliefs.  A recent New York Times editorial also claims that there is a “crackdown on opposition” in Venezuela, an accusation echoed by much of the private press in Venezuela, representatives of the government of the United States and the Venezuelan right-wing political opposition.

Even many progressives outside of the country who support the struggle for self-determination and redistribution in Venezuela, have been growing wary of the ongoing reports of arrests of students and protesters following the months of guarimba protests: the violent street barricades implemented by some anti-government demonstrators which caused the deaths of many of the over 40 people who died during that period of unrest.

As the political climate in Venezuela becomes increasingly polarized, and the media continues to push an anti-government agenda, it is increasingly difficult to know where to turn for information, who to trust, and quite frankly, how to make sense of the arrests, detentions, and trials of opposition leaders.

By exploring the historical context of political prisoners in Venezuela and what that phrase has meant in the country’s recent history, it is easy to see why there is controversy over its use today and what distinguishes today's “political prisoners” with those of past generations.    

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Created: Tuesday, 30 September 2014 20:35

Written by Other Sources

Published on 29 September 2014 by www.venezuelanalysis.com

On Saturday, hundreds of rural workers and their families took over land in the state of Guarico, calling on the National Land Institute (INTI) to support their takeover. Supporters of the recent takeover emphasize the urgency to expedite land expropriations considering the shortages and economic war that Venezuela currently confronts.

A video announcing the takeover and calling for support was released on the independent media site Apporea on Saturday.  In the video Roland Denis, public intellectual and former planning minister (2002-2003) and Fresia Ipinza, former gubernatorial candidate for the state of Miranda and frequent Apporea contributor, called on Venezuelans to offer support to this takeover, especially in light of the current food shortages, high levels of imports, and low levels of agricultural production within the country.

“Why do we need help in this moment?” Denis asked, “Because we know about the immense food crisis that we are living in this country.”  The former minister referred to the food shortages, speculation and trafficking of basic goods, all of which have helped create a scenario in which citizens are increasingly aware of the need to increase food production as a means of achieving food sovereignty within the country.

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