Caracas Chronicles

For Thursday, September 8, 2016. Translated by Javier Liendo.

Yesterday morning was filled with pictures posted by people trying to reach the Electoral Council’s (CNE) regional offices. The police and military deployment was big enough to block free transit along with the peaceful protest; they’re efficient in repressing the citizens and indifferent before the abuses of chavista armed groups. Two shields for the same empty offices. The bottom line? Another postponed coup d’Etat. If ministers Reverol and González López had decency, they’d resign just like Mexican Luis Videgaray.

Overthrow me in the Poliedro

This Wednesday, Nicolás participated in the graduation ceremony of the Experimental University of Security in the Poliedro of Caracas, with the sole purpose of convincing us that the repression to come has faces and resources. Enthusiastic about increasing the National Police’s payroll from the 23,000 offices it has right now to 60,000, he demanded to see them moving and not standing in a corner. He announced several incentives for graduating officers: a social security mission called “Guarantors of Peace” (it includes from education to housing,) a 50% increase in wages for the entire police body (a favor he didn’t do for university professors,) $25 million to buy pistols, ammo and vests (in a country without food or medicine) and two new uniforms to modify the one we already know: the administrative one will be navy blue and the field one will be camouflaged, topped by a red beret. You know who won in the civilian-military coalition.

This goes on

The three mediators for the imaginary dialogue, Rodríguez Zapatero, Leonel Fernández and Martín Torrijos left the country after holding private meetings for which they offered no statements. Meanwhile, Carabobo governor Francisco Ameliach -accompanied by lawyer Gustavo Valero- introduced a request for legal interpretation before the TSJ’s Constitutional Chamber, on article 200 of the Constitution, claiming that: “Parliamentary immunity can’t protect criminals.” According to him, immunity is a privilege that can’t be above fundamental rights such as the right to life, and he tried to link the also imaginary coups d’Etat, with conspiracies of opposition lawmakers.

40,000 captahuellas in 14,500 centers

Jesús “Chúo” Torrealba, head of the Democratic Unity Roundtable, said that they won’t allow the government to repeat the conditions they imposed for collecting the 1% signatures, that’s why they’re making clear demands, so that all voters have the possibility to support the 20% required for the recall referendum. “We’re warning the government (…) you’re surrounded by a country that wants change.” He emphasized again that, according to the law, the election date must be timely, appropriate and pertinent and insisted on the need to hold a recall this year, while he condemned the military and police presence in CNE’s regional offices.

Don’t count on María Corina

If the referendum takes place in 2017. The head of Vente said that Venezuelans have extraordinarily expressed their willingness to do what’s necessary to recover democracy and freedom in the country, and just like each person took to the streets to protest for their own reasons, there was a common goal: ending Nicolás’s mandate in 2016. She insisted that Nicolás’s time has run out, that he has to resign: “He has to leave now,” adding that each new day he remains in power isn’t counted in hours, but in dead Venezuelans.

Delcy, prepare a statement

Joe Biden, vice-president of the United States, demanded respect for the Constitution and the activation of the recall referendum this year, during the Andean Development Corporation’s (CAF) 20th annual conference. It wasn’t a coincidence that he mentioned Venezuela, because unlike the rest of the countries invited by the CAF, this is the only one that doesn’t have development projections for next year. Biden said that they’ve seen the Venezuelan government “return to repressive tactics in violation of its own Constitution and in violation of the Inter American Democratic Charter,” commenting on the massive Takeover of Caracas and its purpose: “The referendum should be held by the end of this year and political prisoners should be released.” He concluded by saying that the U.S. is ready to work with all the region’s partners to facilitate dialogue between the government and the opposition and help improve the living conditions of Venezuelans.

What he doesn’t do for those in need

Ombudsman Tarek William Saab considered that Lilian Tintori’s complaint against Nicolás before the International Criminal Court in The Hague isn’t serious, because according to him, the complaint doesn’t fulfill the requirements established by international law. “Those complaints aren’t made by individuals, they’re made by member states or a prosecutor appointed to that end, that’s why I say that those procedures aren’t serious, because they don’t comply with international law.” If only he’d release a statement for each arbitrary detention and each violation of due process, he’d had more screentime than Nicolás.

De facto

Henry Ramos Allup, head of the National Assembly, said that the government operates de facto in all areas and that it’s impossible for a President to shut down Parliament or declare it as non-existent, nor to threaten with eliminating parliamentary immunity because he’s unable to do that according to the Constitution, but that he’s talking about “a primitive, elementary being, capable of anything (…) who knows, I think this is an ongoing coup d’Etat.” He used this same term when speaking of attacks against the institutions, when the government suppresses free speech, persecutes dissidents and uses the judicial system to plant evidence. He restated that the Assembly will disregard the TSJ’s latest decisions that nullify all of Parliament’s decisions.

…
My love to minister Luis José Marcano. His display on Twitter yesterday was a jewel against him. CNE’s rectoras must have sent him a message saying: “Don’t be so eager to help us, compadre!.” The Central Bank recovered our everyday depreciation, the Bolívar has dropped again before the dollar for three consecutive days. Due to rain, the coup d’Etat is postponed for September 14th (the date for the next opposition protest.) One thing is to overthrow a government, and another is to risk catching a cold in a country where even acetaminophen is scarce.