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1 1 (September 1, 2023)

handle is hein.crs/govemsl0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Congressional Research Service Infrmring the legislitive debate since 1914 Venezuela: Political Crisis and U.S. Policy Venezuela remains under the rule of authoritarian President Nicolas Maduro (2013-present), despite an array of sanctions and international support for an interim government from 2019 to 2022. Within Venezuela, the Unity Platform of opposition has adjusted its strategy, deciding to compete in presidential elections due in 2024, dissolve the interim government led by Juan Guaid6, and negotiate with the Maduro government. In November 2022, the Biden Administration offered limited sanctions relief to the Maduro government if those negotiations produced meaningful progress toward elections. With negotiations stalled and leading candidates banned from participating in the 2024 elections, Congress may consider how to shape U.S. policy responses to developments in Venezuela. Political Situation Venezuela, which Freedom House ranked partly free under President Hugo Chivez (1999-2013), has deteriorated to not free under Nicolhs Maduro. 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, politicians, and civic leaders. As of August 2023, the government had imprisoned 282 political prisoners, according to Venezuelan human rights group Foro Penal. The Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights has documented, and the International Criminal Court is investigating, extrajudicial killings and other crimes reportedly 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 his support faded by 2021. In April 2021, opposition parties and civil society formed the Unity Platform. In November 2022, the Unity Platform announced the resumption of Norway-mediated talks with Maduro officials; the talks had been suspended since October 2021. The two sides announced an agreement to establish a U.N.-administered fund for humanitarian programs supported by Venezuelan assets frozen abroad. Technical and legal challenges have delayed the fund's creation. Since November, Maduro has been unwilling to allow negotiations to advance. In June 2023, Venezuela's then-comptroller barred opposition contender Maria Corina Machado from holding office for 15 years. The National Electoral Commission has been reconstituted with mostly Maduro loyalists, two of whom are subject to U.S. sanctions. Despite these obstacles, Machado and 13 other candidates are scheduled to compete in a primary election scheduled for October 22, 2023, to select one candidate to stand against Maduro in 2024. Updated September 1, 2023 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 production. Between 2014 and 2021, Venezuela's economy contracted by 80%, according to estimates by the International Monetary Fund. According to a February 2021 Government Accountability Office report, sanctions imposed by the United States in response to Maduro's authoritarian actions, particularly sanctions targeting Venezuela's oil industry, contributed to the economic crisis. Since 2021, hyperinflation has somewhat abated and poverty has declined. According to the National Survey of Living Conditions, conducted by a Venezuelan university, roughly 50% of the population lived in poverty in 2022 (down from 65% in 2021). Income inequality has increased significantly, particularly after the government eased restrictions on access to dollars. Since that time, the income gap between those with and without access to dollars has widened sharply. In 2023, an estimated 7 million Venezuelans require humanitarian assistance, according to the United Nations. Food insecurity remains a challenge, mainly due to the excessive dollar-denominated price of food. Many households lack reliable access to potable water, and interruptions in electrical service and gas supplies are common. With a collapsed health system, overall health indicators, particularly infant and maternal mortality rates, remain poor. Previously eradicated diseases such as diphtheria and measles also have become a major concern. As of June 2023, U.N. agencies estimated that more than 7.3 million Venezuelans had left the country (with 26.9 million remaining). Some 6.1 million of these migrants fled to other Latin American and Caribbean countries, and a record 187,700 arrived at the U.S. border in FY2022. Migrants have faced obstacles keeping jobs and accessing health care; 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, once divided on policies toward Venezuela, supports Maduro-opposition negotiations. In 2019, the United States, European Union (EU), Canada, and most Western Hemisphere countries recognized Guaid6 as interim President and exerted economic and diplomatic pressure on Maduro to leave office. Other countries, including China, Russia, Cuba, Turkey, and Iran supported the Maduro government. Russia has supported the oil industry in Venezuela, helped Venezuela skirt U.S. sanctions, and sent military personnel and equipment to the country. China has continued to purchase Venezuelan oil

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