Caracas Chronicles

Photo: La Nación, retrieved.

Venezuela’s caretaker President Juan Guaidó announced that the 11 deputies members of the Preliminary Commission will install on Wednesday, November 13th, the Electoral Nominee Committee to continue in the renovation of the Electoral Branch. The National Assembly voted to incorporate two remaining deputies to this commission, conformed by seven opposition deputies and four chavista lawmakers. Opposition representatives are Ángel Medina (PJ), Luis Aquiles (AD), Stalin González (UNT), Piero Maroun (AD), Olivia Lozano (VP), Franklyn Duarte (EC) and José Gregorio Graterol (PJ). Chavismo will be represented by Willian Gil, Nosliw Rodríguez, Jesús Montilla and Julio Chávez. The 16J faction abstained and left the building, calling this move “cohabitation with the regime.” ANC deputy Francisco Torrealba, leader of the chavista faction (even though he can’t be a deputy because it violates the law,) reiterated in the chavista dialogue roundtable with their prêt-à-porter opposition that they’re evaluating an increase of proportional representation to 60% nominal and 40% list, and said that Tibisay Lucena, CNE board member since 2003, is a great option for the new CNE.

What Else Happened at the AN? 

Deputy Adriana D’Elia resigned for personal reasons. Manuel Teixeira will take her seat. In August 27th, the TSJ forbid D’Elia to run for office for the next 15 years. A commission was created to investigate the regime’s gold exploitation and the AN agreed that all concessions and contracts from January 2019 won’t be valid after the end of usurpation. 

Deputy Ismael León requested an investigation on ANC-deputy Cilia Flores for buying 14 houses in Cumbres de Curumo. Armando.Info reported about this case on Sunday. Deputy Dennis Fernández says they’ll investigate the events of the concert at Parque del Este on Sunday, November 9th. She encouraged the families of the victims to consult with the Interior Politics Commission to receive legal assistance. 

The Non Country 

The Venezuelan Teachers Federation called for a 72-hour strike from Tuesday, November 12th to Thursday, November 14th, to demand better salaries and benefits. Nicolás and his education minister Aristóbulo Istúriz haven’t acknowledged the protest. Teachers assure that if their demands aren’t met, they’ll call for a general strike. Teacher Carmen Arteaga explained that the problem with textbooks from the Colección Bicentenario (the one the regime is forcing on schools) is indoctrination: they don’t educate for democracy but to assemble “new political scenarios”. Arteaga and other experts invited citizens to their lecture “The textbook as a problem” to be held on November 14th and 15th in the UCAB. On the FAO, OPS, Unicef and WFP report “Food and Nutrition Security Scenario in Latin America and the Caribbean 2019,” the data from July was ratified: in absolute terms, Venezuela is the country where malnutrition has increased the most, from 2.9 million people between 2013-2015, to 6.8 million in 2016-2018. 

Evo’s “Quest” 

Evo Morales arrived to Mexico City as a political asylee. He thanked President Andrés Manuel López Obrador for “saving his life” while Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard spoke about “the difficulties” that Morales apparently endured to leave Bolivia. Argentinian President Mauricio Macri asked for “free and fair elections” to resolve the Bolivian crisis, but President elect Alberto Fernández criticized  Donald Trump’s statement, because the U.S. turns back to the “worst of times”. Paraguayan President Mario Abdo Benítez said that his country was willing to grant political asylum to Evo had he requested it, and said that if he resigned “it’s not a coup”. “Wish he could come to Venezuela,” said Diosdado Cabello, assuring that he’d be welcome “whenever, however, with open arms.” Last night, 15 countries in the OAS requested a call for elections in Bolivia as soon as possible and didn’t call Evo Morales’s resignation a coup.

Keepers of the Peace?

Nicolás’s variety show took place in the Congreso Internacional Afrodescendiente, which motto is  “Cimarronaje against imperialism”. He made the delegations of 49 countries listen to his thoughts rejecting Evo Morales’s resignation, because Bolivia freely elected him and 14 years in power weren’t enough after he opted for tyranny. Bolivians should be thankful because Evo es an indigenous, cocalero and a union man. He asked the Bolivian Armed Forces to push for the return of the rule of law (?) and said “Oligarchies can’t understand that we’re the only ones who can guarantee peace, dialogue and social coexistence.” Last night on a mandatory TV and radio broadcast, Nicolás had part two of his show: a summary of the “power” of Popular Integral Defense Units (Updi) or an excuse to showcase his gun power and will use it on the streets. That’s why he announced a strengthening plan, delivering arms to each one of the regime’s militias. The only safety he cares about is his own. 

In Other Lands 

– Bolivia: the Prosecutor’s Office opened cases against seven board members of the Supreme Electoral Tribunal, for their alleged responsibility in the irregularities of the October 20th elections. A commander of the Police Special Operation Unit died, after having an accident on Saturday when he was trying to dodge a dynamite cartridge in a demonstration.

– Chile: the general strike was evident in the mass rallies that took over several cities asking for guaranteed basic rights. President Sebastián Piñera said there was an agreement in Congress to make the nation’s 2020 budget “be a reflection of Chileans’ demands,” including condoning CAE fines and interests, which impact the youngest population, protagonist of the protests.

– Colombia: President Iván Duque appointed Foreign Minister Carlos Holmes Trujillo as Defense Minister after Guillermo Botero resigned because it was revealed that he hid the death of at least eight children in a military bombing against FARC dissidents. Holmes Trujillo has been quite outspoken on Venezuela and the chavista regime. 

– Spain: what was impossible to achieve in six months was accomplished in 48 hours. After repeating the elections,  Pedro Sánchez and Pablo Iglesias reached an agreement to form a “Progressive Coalition Government”. Iglesias will be the second vice-president, something impossible back in March. The official structure of the government hasn’t been finalized, but Partido Popular called the agreement “truly concerning”. Hugo “El Pollo” Carvajal escaped four days before Spain authorized his extradition to the United States for drug trafficking crimes. Meanwhile, dictator Miguel Díaz-Canel took the king and queen of Spain on a little tour, at the beginning of their visit to Cuba. 

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The Organización Internacional de Atletismo announced on Tuesday that Yulimar Rojas is a finalist in the World Athletics Awards. The award seeks to recognize the best track and field athlete in the world. In 2019, Rojas conquered the world championship in Doha, she obtained a world medal in the Pan-American Games in Lima and obtained the 15,41 mts mark in Andujar, the second best mark in history. The triple jump athlete is also a finalist in the Panam Sports Awards.