About | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline
LOG IN
LOG IN

1 1 (January 27, 2021)

handle is hein.crs/govebub0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Venezuela: Political Crisis and U.S. Policy Venezuela remains in a deep crisis under the authoritarian rule of Nicolas Maduro of the United SocialistParty of Venezuela (PSUV). Maduro, narrowly elected in 2013 after the death of President Hugo Chavez(1999-2013), began a second termin January 2019 that is widely considered illegitimate. Despite U.S. and international pressure to leave office, Maduro remains firmly in power. His party now controls a de facto National Assembly seated onJanuary5, 2021. Since January 2019, the United States has recognized Juan Guaidd, president of the democratically elected, opposition- controlled National As sembly elected in December2015, as interim president. Guaidd, once recognized as Venezuela's leader by more than 55 countries, has beenlosing international and Venezuelan domestic support. Although the Biden Administration and many in Congress support Guaidd, some are calling for a new strategy for Venezuela. Political Situation Maduro, reelected in May 2018 in an election widely deemed to be fraudulent, has used the Venezuelan courts, security forces, and electoral council to quash dissent. Security forces have detained and abused Maduro's opponents, including military officers and opposition politicians. As of mid-January 2021, the government held some 350 political prisoners. The U.N. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights documented thousands of extrajudicial killings and other abuses committed by security forces thatit described as crimes against humanity. Electoral authorities convened December2020 legislative elections boycottedby the opposition; plaguedby irregularities; and rejected by the United States, the European Union (EU), and most Latin American countries. The Venezuelan opposition is weak and divided, with many of its leaders in exile. Although Guaidd challenged Maduro's authority in 2019, his supporthas since faded substantially. In 2019, two Guaid6-led efforts to encourage security forces to abandon Maduro failed. After Norway -led negotiations stalled in mid-2019, the Maduro government increas edpersecution of Guaid6's supporters. Since March 2020, restrictions put in place to combatthe spread of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) have limited Guaid6's ability to convene protests. Guaidd alsolost support after reports emerged that he condoned a plan that ended in a botchedraid against Maduro in May 2020. Guaidd and other opposition legislators now face prosecution by judicial authorities, who assert the legislators no longer have immunity since their legislative terms ended in January 2021. Economic and Humanitarian Crisis By most accounts, Maduro's government has mismanaged the economy and engaged in massive corruption, exacerbating the effects of a decline in global oilprices and Updated January 27, 2021 production on the country's economy. Madurohas rewarded allies, including the military, with income siphoned fromstate industries and illegal gold mining, drug trafficking, and other illicit activities. The International Monetary Fund estimates the country's economy contracted by 35% in 2019 and inflation reached 9,585%. Economic conditions deteriorated further in 2020 because of gasoline shortages, COVID-19, and broadened U.S. sanctions. Shortages in food and medicine, declines in purchasing power, and a collapse of social services have created a humanitarian crisis. According to a 2019-2020 household survey, the percentageofVenezuelans living in poverty increased to 96% in 2019 (80% in extreme poverty). A February 2020 World Food Program(WFP) assessment estimated that 9 million Venezuelans were food insecure. Maduro continues to blockthe establishment of a WFP programin the country, preferring to provide food aid through aprogramtied to supportforhis government. Health indicators, particularly infant and maternal mortality rates, have worsened. Previously eradicated diseases such as diphtheria and measles have returned and spread. The governmentreported 1,148 deaths fromCOVID-19 (as of January 25), but experts maintain the actual number is much higher. The pandemic could decimate Venezuela's hollowed-out health system. A June 2020 Maduro-Guaidd agreement to address COVID-19 may be in jeopardy, with the opposition alleging Maduro has not distributed medicines apolitically andboth sides disputinghowto pay for vaccines. In December 2020, U.N. agencies estimated5.4 million Venezuelans had left the country. Some 4.6 million of those migrants fled to other Latin American and Caribbean countries, especially Colombia. Migrants face obstacles maintaining jobs and accessing health care, as neighboring countries have implemented quarantines andborder closures to counter COVID-19. International Response The international community remains divided over how to respond to the crisis in Venezuela. The United Kingdom and some Western Hemisphere countries stillrecognize Guaidd as interim president, although EU countries no longer label him as such since January 5,2021. The United States, EU, Canada, and 11 Western Hemisphere countries that are parties to the Inter-American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance (Rio Treaty) have imposedtargetedsanctions and travel bans on Maduro officials. The EU and mo s t Western Hemisphere countries oppose military intervention to oust Maduro. The EU and some Latin American countries endorsed 2019 negotiations led by Norway, but those efforts did not prove successful.

What Is HeinOnline?

HeinOnline is a subscription-based resource containing thousands of academic and legal journals from inception; complete coverage of government documents such as U.S. Statutes at Large, U.S. Code, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Reports, and much more. Documents are image-based, fully searchable PDFs with the authority of print combined with the accessibility of a user-friendly and powerful database. For more information, request a quote or trial for your organization below.



Short-term subscription options include 24 hours, 48 hours, or 1 week to HeinOnline.

Purchase Access

Contact us for annual subscription options:

Contact Us

Already a HeinOnline Subscriber?

Log In

profiles profiles most