Briefing

72-hour Deadline to Submit CNE Pre-Nominations List

The ruling by the TSJ Constitutional Chamber values the work done by the Nominations Committee

Naky Soto

Photo: La Gran Época

  • The Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Tribunal of Justice (TSJ) exhorted the Electoral Nominations Committee to present a list of the pre-nominated citizens to be part of the National Electoral Council’s (CNE) board of authorities in 72 hours, starting the moment the ruling was published. Sentence N° 0069-2020, co-signed by the justices of the Constitutional Chamber, says that the work of the following deputies is a positive political action: Ángel Medina, Luis Aquiles Moreno, Stalin González, Piero Maroun, Olivia Lozano, Franklyn Duarte, William Gil, Nosliw Rodríguez, Jesús Montilla, Julio Chávez and Gregorio Graterol, and citizens Petra Tovar, Orlando Pérez, Mercedes Gutiérrez, Luis Alberto Serrano, Luis Alberto Rodríguez, Guillermo Miguelena, Diana Rodríguez, Eduardo Castañeda, Bussy Galeano and Alexis Corredor, part of the Electoral Nominations Committee. 
  • The National Assembly’s Commission of Health Experts expects that decentralizing diagnostic capabilities will happen soon, said its representative Dr. Julio Castro. A day after they agreed on decentralizing PCR tests with Carlos Alvarado, Health minister, and PAHO representatives, Castro suggested that this action, which he proposed in March, will allow for early diagnosis, reducing the demand in health centers and evaluating the impact of more flexible quarantine rules. Castro talked about increasing decentralization in areas where there are more cases, strengthening all labs because of the changing nature of the pandemic. He reiterated the importance of having personal protection gear for health personnel (facemasks, goggles, gloves and suits), to minimize contagion; running water and electricity, and supplies for general hygiene. Also, open access to epidemic data. The infectologist said they talked to the ministry and the PAHO about stigmatizing patients and blaming returning migrants. 
  • Delcy Rodríguez said on Wednesday that there are 105 new cases of COVID-19, for a total of 2,738 people. She said that 13 cases are local, 92 are because of returned migrants and one case from contact with travelers: “Out of community cases we have four from the outbreak in Las Pulgas market in Maracaibo, four in the Capital District and one in Miranda.” Zulia governor Omar Prieto, said: “Every patient with COVID-19 becomes a time bomb for the community” and exhorted patients to accept their isolation during quarantine. He ignored all the claims about the horrible conditions of current patients. He also said that Maracaibo’s University Hospital will only see COVID-19 cases, suspending the rest of the emergency services. Doctors at that institution have been denouncing it has already collapsed since last week, and it’s worth mentioning that Zulia only has 183 cases. 
  • ANC-imposed prosecutor general Tarek William Saab, assured that DirecTV directors had known that AT&T was planning to cease operations since 2019, and still they charged for the service and equipment until the very last day. According to him, DirecTV wanted to cause panic amid the pandemic, a plan orchestrated by the U.S. government. It’s just unbelievable. 
  • Saab also said that the Public Ministry counted 100 detentions tied to corruption schemes in gas stations, for appropriation or illegal commercialization of gas: 58 citizens and 39 officers, mostly GNB, were detained. 
  • State media tried to distract the public with a conference of Alba members all day, an organization where they often lie about unprovable achievements and promises that chavismo will never keep. Dictators of Cuba and Nicaragua expressed their solidarity with Maduro because of the cruel plans of the U.S. government against him. 
  • Maduro proposed a new economic model (!) based on international cooperation after the pandemic. Everything he explained is so basic that it’s not worth repeating. In any case, he suggested a meeting of Foreign and Economy ministers to “turn ideas into a reality.” He also attacked the OAS, because he thinks they haven’t managed the effects of coronavirus efficiently (looks like he meant the PAHO).
  • Youtuber Luisa Ortega Díaz assured that abstaining in elections has only benefited the regime. He called citizens to vote in the next legislative election that’s being organized by Nicolás and his prêt-à-porter opposition. 
  • Venezuela is the 5th country with the most forgotten refugee crisis, according to the ranking by the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC). Cameroon tops the list for the second year in a row, Congo, Burkina Faso, Burundi and Venezuela follow. 
  • President of Fedenaga, Armando Chacín, explained that in Venezuelan rural areas there’s no regular distribution of gas, despite the privatization and dollarization. In the states of Apure, Barinas and Zulia, at the center and west of the nation, we still see long lines of agricultural producers trying to get gas. He asked for regular supply so farmers can distribute food. 
  • Spain complied with the EU decision to suspend weapons contracts with Nicolás’s regime, abiding by the agreement to sanction Venezuela because of repression against its citizens made in 2017. They add as a motive “not recognizing the authorities receiving the products.” 
  • Citgo successfully refinanced debt contracted by Nicolás’s representatives, said the PDVSA ad-hoc board in a communiqué. Refinancing will allow CITGO to have additional capital to reinforce its liquidity and operational capacity considering the impact of the pandemic. 
  • Colombia Immigration director, Juan Francisco Espinosa, assured that they have observed a decreasing trend of Venezuelan migrant flow associated with the reactivation of the economy: “This population depends on informal markets and the process of economic reactivation, which causes migrants to remain where they are and mobility to decrease.”
  • There have been 7.3 million COVID-19 cases in the world, and 416,040 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University. On Wednesday, Latin America surpassed 71,000 deaths in total and is reaching 1.5 million cases. The U.S. has had over 2 million cases and over 112,800 deaths. Brazil has had 772,400 cases and 39,680 deaths. Chile has had 148,416 cases and 2,475 deaths. Peru, 207,700 cases and 5,892 deaths and Colombia 40,847 cases and 1,373 deaths.
Briefing

Naky Soto

Naky gets called Naibet at home and at the bank. She coordinates training programs for an NGO. She collects moments and turns them into words. She has more stories than freckles.

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