Caracas Chronicles

• Maduro signed on Wednesday the Law for Special Economic Zones (ZEE), calling it a product of ample debate, which didn’t happen. The law is an instrument awarding extraordinary abilities to decide on important matters, using development as a promise (meaning: another law to help them take discretionary measures). He said that investors will come from all over the world. He established that the first five economic zones will be: Paraguaná in Falcón, Puerto Cabello in Carabobo, La Guaira, Margarita in Nueva Esparta and La Tortuga (which will have an “international airport”). He created the superintendent of ZEEs that will coordinate and oversee them. 
• Oil analyst Luis Pacheco doesn’t think Venezuela will benefit from the changes the war in Ukraine has brought to the market, because the country doesn’t have the capacity to produce more than it’s producing and we’d need at least 18 months to produce an additional 200,000 barrels. He said that the investment needed to recover the industry is around “hundreds of millions of dollars” and in order to sustain it for years, we’d need billions of dollars per year, he emphasized. 
• The Venezuelan Observatory of Finance (OVF) said that the average wage in dollars has lost 5.7% of its purchasing power in 2022, because of the high inflation rates. They estimate this average salary is 118,4 dollars and it covers only one third of the food basket, warned the OVF. 

Economist Asdrúbal Oliveros assured that 53% of economic activity occurs in informality, and reiterated that this entails severe limitations for its growth. 

• Alianza Gavi announced that Venezuela could be one of the countries to receive support from its immunization program for children, which would allow access to vaccines that are currently unavailable because of the debt with the WHO. Miguel Pizarro warned that the lack of figures influences even the access to this kind of program, because this kind of institution can’t know the true dimension of our crisis. 
• Súmate accused the National Electoral Council board of authorities of not complying with their constitutional obligations during the first quarter of the year, ignoring updating the electoral registry after they presented their checks and balances for 2020-2021 and haven’t found a replacement for former board member Tania D’ Amelio, among many other responsibilities. 
• Acceso a la Justicia denounced that the regime is ignoring UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet’s recommendations with another wave of repression against civil society. 
• Former CNE board member Andrés Caleca reported that they sent a report to the CNE in order to recommend ways of registering to vote or updating their information in the electoral registry and voting for Venezuelans abroad. 
• Iran asked Argentina to immediately suspend the legal measures forbidding the five Iranian citizens that were part of the Emtrasur crew from leaving the country. 
• Greenpeace assured that radioactivity near Chernobyl is four times over the international limit and it’s at least three times over the UN’s nuclear energy agency IAEA estimates. 
• Ukraine has asked the West to stand firm behind its cause and not to yield to Putin’s tyranny. Russia conditioned lifting the blockade of Ukrainian grains on sanctions being lifted. 
• Food journalist Rosanna di Turi died yesterday. She authored books like El Legado de Don Armando, Ron en Venezuela, and ABC del vino. May she rest in peace.