Caracas Chronicles

Photo: Monumental retrieved

On Wednesday, it’s been a week since the Norwegian-sponsored dialogue was suspended. Stalin González, a member of the opposition delegation, accused chavismo of leaving the table because there already was an agreement, while Nicolás said that the most recent sanctions were the cause. Since then, public funds have been used to promote their strategy of collecting signatures against Donald Trump’s Executive Order, that freezes Venezuelan assets in U.S. soil. A Norwegian delegation arrived today in Caracas to try to re-establish the negotiation. The delegation will speak with chavismo and opposition separately, sticking to its goal of finding a solution to the political crisis with international support. 

A Pig’s Hope

Today, Nicolás dedicated his variety show to “productivity” ignoring the contraction of our economy, that happened under his government. He announced the National Porcine Plan, based on a census they held in July and showed that in Venezuela there are 869,000 pigs. We’ll all get Christmas dinner with that, allegedly, and that’s why he promised to look after the pigs’ health, with a Zoo-Sanitary Plan. Nicolás interacted with several spokespeople to prove chavista productivity: Guárico governor spoke about producing one and a half million kilos of chicken a week. Portuguesa governor talked about a farm with 48,000 chickens. Trujillo governor said that he turned every unproductive acre of land in Valera into fertile soil. Carabobo governor said that Fama de América processes 257,000 kilos of coffee a month. The Youth Minister announced that they’d be “transferring” Algodones del Orinoco to Chamba Juvenil Mission. Nobody said a word about budgets, productive chain, markets, profitability or investment. Nobody divided those “enormous” quantities among millions of inhabitants… a show to use hunger for social control. 

The Other Side of Productivity

Hours before, during his presentation to Fedeagro’s annual meeting, caretaker President Juan Guaidó said that his administration will continue to put pressure for political change and asked producers to build the necessary networks for Plan País. About production, he said chavismo is responsible for Venezuela’s bankruptcy: “This has nothing to do with sanctions from a week ago. Seven million Venezuelans are in a complex humanitarian emergency in a day? In a month? In a year? No, it’s because they destroyed the field,” said Guaidó, who also said that what has happened to our productive sector is a tragedy, yet stated that the mere expectation for change “generates positive reactions in the market.”  He said that there isn’t a date for returning to the negotiation table, that the Kingdom of Norway insists on a negotiation mechanism as does the International Contact Group and, despite saying that this strategy isn’t fundamental, but international pressure is, he said: “We’ll participate in any space that brings a real solution to the conflict.” 

The Limits of Sanctions

Bloomberg says that OFAC officials say that Pdvsa bond creditors can still take over Citgo actions if the company doesn’t fulfill the 2020 bond payment, meaning that if Pdvsa doesn’t pay 913 million dollars in October, creditors can keep the guarantee: a 50.1$ stake in Citgo. 

Share holders in foreign Pdvsa subsidiaries are worried about the last round of sanctions interrupting their operations, sanctioning individual companies and banks limiting transactions just to avoid the risk of sanctions. Even though the Executive Order from August 5th didn’t sanction non-American companies that do business with Pdvsa, it threatens to freeze assets on U.S. soil, property of any person or company that assists Nicolás’s government. 

The Non-Country

-Deputy  Bolivia Suárez, president of the Education Sub-Committee, warned about 400 people without university degrees being trained to teach in schools all across the country: “The regime only cares about indoctrination. From the AN, we reject the government’s delusion of having express teachers that will be ready to teach in 450 hours, with the sole requirement of having a carnet de la patria and an ID,” said Suárez. 

– Workers of the health sector demanded an indemnization of $200 from Maduro’s government, as a means of compensation for the state’s inattention. 

– Felipe Capozzolo, head of Consecomercio, requested to authorities to raise the tax base in the country, saying that it’s mandatory to assimilate everyone who’s outside the system. Capozzolo explained that in the last four years, they’ve registered a 75% contraction in the commerce sector, 65% in the industrial sector and 95% in construction. 

Another Attempt, Some Changes

Nicolás denounced today that they’re plotting his murder from Colombia: “I heard of a plan directed by Álvaro Uribe, the Colombian ambassador and the U.S. are involved.” According to him the plan involves talks with Lester Toledo “to smuggle 32 mercenaries to Venezuela and try to murder me. However, earlier in the day, journalist Sebastiana Barráez denounced the presence of the ELN in the El Palotal parish in Táchira and said that the group patrols the area and forces residents of the area to stay in their homes after 8:00 p.m. 

Bárraez also informed about changes in Dgcim regional chiefs, especially in Colonel Hannover Guerrero Mijares’s background: “The cruelest Investigation Director to ever be a part of Dgcim (…) He’s sent to take over the Military Counterintelligence Capital Region from Franco Quintero,” she said.   

Movements on the Board

• The UN called for support to the Humanitarian Response Plan that it created for Venezuela. It needs $223 million to provide assistance to 2.6 million people in need until the end of the year. 
• John Bolton, security advisor to the president of the U.S., sent a message to Nicolás’s Defense minister, Vladimir Padrino López: “You have to choose. Defend your fellow soldiers and countrymen against torture and abuse by Maduro. Or, you’ll be remembered as an accomplice in these actions, betraying your constitutional oath,” he warned him.
• Bolton also accused Nicolás of torturing and abusing Army officers to remain in power: “He’s a desperate dictator, willing to torture and abuse Venezuelan Army officers to keep holding on to power, We should hold him accountable for his disdain for institutions,” he tweeted. 
• Jair Bolsonaro, Brazilian president: “Look at what’s going on in Argentina now. Argentina is sinking into chaos. It’s starting to go down the same path as Venezuela, because in primary elections the thieves from the Left started to return to power.”

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