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1 1 (March 10, 2021)

handle is hein.crs/govecos0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Venezuela: Political Crisis and U.S. Policy Venezuela remains in a deep crisis under the authoritarian rule ofNicolas Maduroofthe United SocialistParty of Venezuela (PSUV). Maduro, narrowly elected in 2013 after the death ofpopulist President Hugo Chavez(1999-2013), began a s econd termin January 2019 that is widely considered illegitimate. Despite U.S. and international pressure onhimto leave office and a worsening economic and humanitarian crisis, Maduro remains firmly in power. His party now controls a de facto National Assembly seated on January 5, 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 March 8, 2021, the government held 321 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 December 2020 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. After Norway-led negotiations stalled in mid-2019, the Maduro government increased persecution ofGuaid6's supporters. Since March 2020, restrictions put in place to combat the spread of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) have limited Guaid6's ability to convene protests. Guaidd also lost support afterreports 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 as s ert 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 March 10, 2021 production on the country's economy. The Economist Intelligence Unitestimates Venezuela's economy has contracted by more than 75% since 2014. Economic conditions deteriorated further in 2020 because of gasoline shortages, COVID-19, and U.S. sanctions. Nevertheless, Maduro has rewarded allies, including the military, with income siphoned fromstate industries and illegalgold mining, drug trafficking, and other illicit activities. 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 increasedto 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 support forhis 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 1,400deaths fromCOVID-19 (as of March 9), 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 allow the Pan-American Health Organization to address COVID-19 in Venezuela has expanded to include vaccine purchasing and distribution. As of February 2021, U.N. agencies estimated 5.5 million Venezuelans hadleft the country. Some 4.6 million of those migrants fled to other Latin American and Caribbean countries. Migrants have faced obstacles maintainingjobs and accessing health care during the pandemic. Colombia recently announced an initiative to provide 10-year temporary protective status to Venezuelan migrants. 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 Guaid6 as interim president, although EU countries have not labeled himas such sinceJanuary 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 imposed targeted s anctions 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.

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