The more I researched about the present condition in Venezuela, the more flustered I became because of how little I knew about the country. My ignorance led me to question others about their knowledge of this South American country. The answers were not much of a surprise to me as, the majority of them associated it with the maximum number of Miss Universe winners; which is true but the least important piece of information right now.
So What Exactly Is Happening In Venezuela?
Since 2014, three million people have left the country which is about seven percent of the population. The condition is so doleful that the price of a cup of coffee in the capital city has doubled to 400 bolívars in just one week. The price of baby milk is equivalent to a person’s two months salary.
Yet, if people dare to protest and demand justice they are put behind the bars. By the end of 2018, prices doubled in every 19 days. Mothers are forced to give away their newborns for the sake of their already starving children. People are compelled to search for food from the garbage.
This raises many questions; how did the situation become so miserable and is the international community paying enough attention?
The country was facing a major socio-economic crisis since the past nine years which caused inflation and rapid poverty. Today, 87% of the people are poor and 61.2% are living in extreme poverty. It has further led to a political crisis because people have a teeny tiny doubt about the President of their country. No seriously, who is the current President or who are the Presidents? Is it the brutish Nicolas Maduro or the self-proclaimed leader Juan Guaido. Well, the truth is no one really knows.
The leader of the legislature, Juan Guaido declared himself as the acting president and challenged the incumbent President Nicolas. Yes, it does seem unusual. How can this happen? What about the laws in the Constitution? But, surprisingly according to 54 countries, it is the most constitutional move in the country’s politics since a very long time.
Let’s Rewind To 2016 To Understand The Whole Scenario
In the year 2016, the National Assembly declared that Venezuela is suffering from a humanitarian crisis ‘ However, the tribunal gave more power to Nicolas. Further, in 2017, a constituent assembly was made to replace the old constitution created under Nicolas ‘ predecessor, Hugo Chavez. The opposition claimed that it would increase the powers of Nicolas. The Constituent National Assembly became the supreme organisation and banned National Assembly from taking any decisions. Therefore, leading to a de facto dictatorship by Nicolas.
In 2018, Nicolas Maduro won the elections despite popular discontent. This happened because the majority of the political parties were banned from contesting elections Juan Guaido received support from the USA, Canada, and other European countries while Maduro was supported by Russia, China, and Syria. And they say the cold war is over?
Venezuela is the major producer and exporter of bauxite and has coal, gold, and iron ores. It is also known to have the largest proven oil reserves. Do you sense familiar geopolitically influenced moves here as well?
But, What Do Venezuelans Want?
Well, for starters food and shelter as it is highly inconvenient to live on the streets. The present condition is appalling because Venezuelans are left with no option but to migrate to Chile, Colombia, and Ecuador. Well, these countries do not hold many laurels when it comes to human rights and internal stability either.