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handle is hein.crs/govehfp0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Congress&onaI Research Servt informing Ih Iegislaive dIbate soc 1914 Updated April 1, 2022 Venezuela: Political Crisis and U.S. Policy Venezuela, under the authoritarian rule of Nicolas Maduro, remains in a deep economic and humanitarian crisis worsened by the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Maduro has consolidated power over all of Venezuela's institutions since his 2013 election after the death of President Hugo Chavez (1999-2013). Maduro's United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) took control of the National Assembly, the last independent branch of government, in January 2021. The PSUV and allies won 19 of 23 gubernatorial elections in flawed November elections. Maduro has quashed dissent and resisted international pressure to step down since his reelection in a 2018 presidential vote that was widely condemned as fraudulent. Support for opposition leader Juan Guaid6, the former National Assembly president once regarded as interim president by nearly 60 other countries, has dissipated, although the Biden Administration continues to recognize Guaid6's government, partially to prevent Venezuelan assets abroad from coming under Maduro's control. Administration officials nevertheless met with Maduro in early March 2022, reportedly to discuss U.S. citizens illegally detained in Venezuela, restarting stalled negotiations with the opposition, and energy issues. Political Situation Maduro has used security forces, buoyed by corrupt courts, to quash dissent. His government has rewarded allies, particularly in the security forces, by allowing them to earn income from illegal gold mining, drug trafficking, and other illicit activities. Those forces have detained and abused Maduro's opponents, including military officers, opposition politicians, and civic leaders. As of March 2022, the government had imprisoned 241 political prisoners, according to Foro Penal, a Venezuelan human rights group. The U.N. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights has documented, and the International Criminal Court is investigating, extrajudicial killings and other crimes against humanity committed by Venezuela's security forces. The Venezuelan opposition has been weak and divided, with many of its leaders in exile. Guaid6 challenged Maduro's authority in 2019, but Guaid6's support has since faded. After Norway-led negotiations stalled in mid-2019, the Maduro government persecuted Guaid6's supporters. In April 2021, Guaid6 called on opposition parties, labor and civic groups, and business leaders to form a Unity Platform to negotiate with Maduro officials. The Unity Platform seeks better human rights, humanitarian, and electoral conditions; Maduro's team seeks sanctions relief and international recognition. Mediated by Norway, the negotiations began in Mexico in September 2021, but Maduro suspended them after the United States extradited a top ally, Alex Saab, from Cape Verde to stand trial for money laundering. After the meeting with U.S. officials, Maduro released two unjustly imprisoned Americans and pledged to restart negotiations with the opposition. Even if negotiations restart, it is unclear whether Maduro will make significant concessions without U.S. sanctions relief. 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 oil prices and production. The International Monetary Fund estimates the economy contracted by 74% from 2014 to 2020 and by 5% in 2021. Hyperinflation has abated, and higher oil prices appear to be driving a nascent economic recovery. Despite that progress, shortages in food and medicine, declines in purchasing power, and a collapse of social services have created a humanitarian crisis. According to the National Survey of Living Conditions (ENCOVI), a May 2021 survey by a group of Venezuelan universities, 94% of Venezuelans live in poverty, with 77% in extreme poverty, and 60% experience moderate to severe food insecurity. In April 2021, the Maduro government allowed the World Food Program to launch a school lunch program. Health indicators, particularly infant and maternal mortality rates, have worsened. Violent clashes between illegally armed groups along the Venezuela-Colombia border have complicated humanitarian relief efforts in that region. According to data from Johns Hopkins University (JHU), Venezuela reported 5,679 deaths from COVID-19 (as of March 28, 2022), but experts maintain the actual number is much higher. The pandemic has strained Venezuela's hollowed-out health system. According to JHU, 50.1% of Venezuelans were fully vaccinated as of March 28. Venezuela has used Russian and Cuban vaccines and has received Chinese vaccines both bilaterally and through the COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access (COVAX) Facility. As of February 2022, U.N. agencies estimated 6.1 million Venezuelans had left the country (with 26.9 million remaining). Some 5 million of these migrants fled to other Latin American and Caribbean countries. Migrants have faced obstacles keeping jobs and accessing health care during the pandemic; they are vulnerable to human trafficking and other abuses. In 2021, Colombia and Peru began granting temporary protected status to Venezuelans. International Response The international community is divided on policies toward Venezuela, hindering the effectiveness of efforts to restore democratic processes. The United States has encouraged other countries to sanction Maduro officials, hold the Maduro government responsible for human rights abuses,

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