We need your help:

Our sister site in Spanish, Cinco8, has invested months researching a matter that touches everything but is currently barely discussed: how and why crime rates went down in Venezuela. Ten years ago, our main cities were among the most dangerous in the world. Still, after a traumatic era of protest and repression, economic collapse, and mass migration, the country we have in 2023 does not seem to have crime among its main worries, to the point that this issue disappeared from the top matters explored by surveys and polls on the state of public opinion.

As part of this project, we need more input about the collective perception of crime. Is it true that the country feels less dangerous now? If so, what do Venezuelans think is the cause? 

This is why we ask you, if you currently live in Venezuela, to answer this online survey. It would take just a moment and is anonymous and confidential. Feel free to share the link with other people in the country. We are publishing the results along with the rest of our findings, in a set of online materials. Thanks! Fill out the survey here: https://forms.gle/cqrsVB2Xw5Dw7Mzr9

The Scorpionship Crumbles 🦂

Mass resignation in Fuerza Vecinal, the “loyal opposition” party that rules the wealthy sectors of Caracas and other cities: eight mayors, a regional lawmaker, 21 councilors and almost 30 “regional spokespersons.” They assure that they have a “thirst for real change.”

The most well-known figure is the mayor of El Hatillo (southeastern Caracas), Elías Sayegh, who previously distanced himself from Fuerza Vecinal when it called for the suspension of the primaries. He also went to María Corina Machado’s inauguration as candidate.

We previously wrote about how Fuerza Vecinal and other new nominally-opposition parties and coalitions are being propped up by Chavismo, through parallel negotiation tables and institutional handouts, to fragment and weaken the mainstream opposition.