Caracas Chronicles

Yesterday, the four Acción Democrática (AD)  governors elected in regional elections swore in at the Foreign Affairs Ministry headquarters by Delcy Rodríguez as head of the ANC.

Antonio Barreto Sira of Anzoátegui; Ramón Guevara of Mérida; Alfredo Díaz of Nueva Esparta and Laidy Gómez of Táchira, managed to split the already beaten MUD, giving the government the piece they wanted: an official opposition for the dictatorship, which disseminated the pictures of the ceremony on all available platforms, as if absolute power was measured through RTs or the indignation of dissidents.

“It’s worth noting that these four representatives are members of Acción Democrática and that this gesture constitutes the acknowledgment of the ANC.”

The governors called for a press conference today in National Assembly headquarters, but Parliament already denied them use of the Federal Palace to that end.

Gloating

Chavismo thrives in dark emotions. All the incapacity they have for prosperity, they compensate with their pleasure to cause disgrace and pain. Nicolás showed the pictures of the AD governors swearing in ceremony several times, as well as the document of their subordination to the ANC. He claimed that he talked on the phone with each one of them to offer them his “two hands” and invited them to let bygones be bygones and to work for the country.

In addition to threatening them with prison, because he doesn’t want “guarimberos” as governors, he recovered the figure of state protectors “to avoid abandoning the people to their fate.” And so, PSUV losing candidates will be the protectors: Aristóbulo Istúriz in Anzoátegui; Jehyson Guzmán in Mérida; Carlos Mata Figueroa in Nueva Esparta; José Vielma Mora in Táchira and Francisco Arias Cárdenas in Zulia.

Delcy remarked that governor Juan Pablo Guanipa’s insubordination will have consequences and these will be discussed today.

More votes than fingerprints

“1,634,000 votes don’t match any fingerprint, which might mean multiple votes,” said Parliament Speaker Julio Borges, denouncing that the group of people who could vote more than once surpasses the gap for which they allegedly lost the elections. The issue of multiple votes impacts and affects at least ten states, showing that the electoral system “doesn’t guarantee correspondence between votes and fingerprints,” as Borges said. He demanded the National Electoral Council to hand over the compendium of every transaction, record and report of the number of locked voting machines and the calls CNE made to request that they be unlocked.

Waiting for the challenge

CNE board member Tania D’Amelio said yesterday morning that “no formal challenge has been filed by any opposition political organization against the regional elections held on October 15th” before the Electoral Branch, and urged parties to challenge the results in compliance with the Law of Electoral Processes.

Bolívar candidate Andrés Velásquez then filed an appeal before the CNE for the electoral fraud committed in his state, to give D’Amelio a little peace of mind.

Four million

A full minimum wage was required each day during September to cover the price of the canasta básica: Bs. 3,901,076, according to the report by Cendas, which is Bs. 962,798.85 more than August 2017 (32.8%) and 619.2% more than September 2016. The seven groups of products in the BFB increased in price and the gap between controlled and market prices is 21,856%.

If you read the statements made to Crónica Uno by Ingrid Soto, chief of Nutrition, Growth and Development Service of the J.M. de los Ríos Children’s Hospital, you’ll have a clearer view of the direct consequences of this disgrace: there are many cases in the hospital of children admitted because of poor nutrition, and also of parents, because “they make a sacrifice and avoid eating in order to give their children the little they have,” with an average weight loss of 8 to 10 kg.

Yesterday, the black market dollar closed at Bs. 40,072.20. More hunger is coming.

Abroad

• The U.S. authorized several of its diplomats to return to Venezuela, after they were pulled out of the country in July. The instruction was included in the most recent travel warning issued by the State Department, in which they asked citizens once again to avoid travelling to the country due to criminal activity, social unrest and medicine shortages.
• Christian Krüger, director of the Colombian Immigration Unit, said that Colombia has never closed the border to prevent Venezuelans from entering that country, an action he blamed on Nicolás, saying that most Venezuelans leaving the country are Colombian citizens going back. Krüger estimated that some 67,000 Venezuelans are working legally in Colombia after obtaining the Special Stay Permit and asked his countrymen to remember that immigration used to be the other way around. The priority is regularizing immigration, because illegal immigration would be worst for both travellers and countries, he said, as he added that we are facing a humanitarian crisis.
• Brazilian Foreign minister Aloysio Nunes said that Venezuela’s suspension gave Mercosur greater freedom to negotiate free trade agreements with other countries: “It was an obstacle in negotiations between Mercosur and other blocs. [Venezuela] was suspended and that gave the four founding partners greater leeway to act.”
• Today, Venezuela will be the focus of three hearings in the 165th sessions period of the Inter American Commission on Human Rights: one regarding the right to education (requested by the government itself); a second one regarding democratic institutionality and the third, concerning violence, citizen security and free speech. The Venezuelan state will have speaking rights in all of them.

“¡Adelante a humillar milicianos!”

“A la hoz de la revolución.” Starting yesterday, Venezuela has an opposition in ruins, the government’s second big hit after destroying democratic elections. Nicolás and Delcy can say whatever they want, but there’s no way of legitimizing the ANC, although AD has decided to become the submissive opposition that Nicolás needed. Being the only option for 2018 presidential elections – if those ever happen – is the most popular explanation for this atrocity.

The same party that boosted abstention in parliamentary elections back in 2005, now ravaged the opposition’s board, compromising international support and consolidating the dictatorship. It’s imperative that the Democratic Unity Roundtable expel the inducted governors. We lost a lot more than we could fathom yesterday.