Venezuela

Venezuela: The Brutal Truth About Maduro’s Election Victory

By any measure, Sunday’s gubernatorial elections in Venezuela did not go well for the opposition. The regime of President Nicolás Maduro took 17 of a possible 23 seats, with, as of this writing, another still up for grabs. Marred by predictable irregularities and government manipulation, the MUD opposition coalition’s decision to participate failed to pay … Read more

Luisa Ortega Díaz: The Venezuelan Opposition’s Unlikely Ally

Few question whether Venezuela’s former Attorney General Luisa Ortega Díaz is a true chavista. As Venezuela’s top law enforcement officer for nearly a decade, she followed the government line to the letter, including in the prosecution of demonstrators arrested in a wave of protests against President Nicolás Maduro in 2014. That is, until recently. In … Read more

How Venezuelans Could Reshape Elections in Florida

As an engineer, Jorge Pacheco never expected his job would make him the target of political persecution. But as Venezuela’s finances floundered and its public services deteriorated, the Venezuelan government blamed engineers at the state-owned electrical provider CORPOELEC for power grid disruptions. As political persecution became more common, the young man made the difficult choice … Read more

The Six Players in Venezuela’s Crisis

Venezuela is at a crossroads. President Nicolás Maduro is pushing ahead with a vote Sunday to elect a 545-member National Constituent Assembly (ANC) with powers to rewrite the constitution and cement his hold on power. Events over the next few days will determine the survival of Venezuelan democracy, the welfare of its population, and the … Read more

The Venezuelan Diaspora’s Role in Confronting Maduro

On Sunday, July 16 more than 7 million Venezuelans – at home and abroad – participated in a symbolic referendum against the constitutional convention proposed by President Nicolás Maduro. I was one of the votes from abroad. Besides casting my ballot, I also volunteered to accompany observers witnessing the process in New York City. We started by visiting … Read more

My Brother, Leopoldo López, Is No Longer in Prison. But He Is Not Free – and Neither Is Venezuela.

My brother Leopoldo López, leader of Venezuela’s Voluntad Popular party, was sentenced to 13 years, nine months, seven days and 12 hours in prison for giving a speech in which he denounced the corruption and the antidemocratic repression of Nicolás Maduro’s government. He was arrested in 2014 during a government crack-down on protesters, and charged … Read more

Mid-Terms, Graduation, Fighting a Dictator: Venezuelan Students’ Shifting Priorities

CARACAS – Students at Caracas’ Simón Bolivar University (USB) haven’t had an exam in three months. Professors at the Central University of Venezuela (UCV) stopped taking attendance. At the Andrés Bello Catholic University (UCAB), protests and road closures count as excused absences. As a large portion of the 3,500 people detained by security services in recent … Read more

Maduro Justice: Secret Evidence and Military Courts for Venezuela’s Protesters

On May 15, Carlos Ramírez, a student activist in Mérida, Venezuela, was picked up by police at an anti-government protest. Forty-eight hours later, he’d been flown to a military base 300 kilometers away, accused of treason, given only one phone call – and 30 minutes to find an attorney before his first hearing. “It’s very … Read more

Venezuela: No Solution Without Beijing

For years, governments across the hemisphere have failed to halt Venezuela’s slow descent into strife-riven autocracy. This is partly because their discussions have overlooked an important element: Beijing’s key role as President Nicolás Maduro’s largest and most stalwart financial supporter. China as a political actor can no longer be left out of the search for solutions to … Read more

Venezuela’s Young Leaders: “We’re Responsible for Solving This Crisis”

With his arms covered in tattoos and a discourse of reconciliation, Miguel Pizarro has been a riveting presence on the front lines of anti-government protests, energizing the Venezuelan opposition – particularly young protestors and student activists. Pizarro, who grew up in Caracas’ biggest slum, has been in politics since he was a college student. His … Read more

Now Is Latin America’s Chance to Rally Against Maduro

Latin America should face an inconvenient truth – it has no workable strategy to confront the Venezuelan crisis. When the region’s foreign ministers meet at the Organization of American States (OAS) in Washington on May 31, they will have an opportunity to develop such a joint approach. They should do so. The clock is ticking … Read more

Jóvenes Venezolanos criados bajo el chavismo hoy protestan en su contra

Read in English Lorena recuerda su primera impresión de Hugo Chávez. Era el hombre del afiche que su padre, luego de votar, traía del centro de votación. “Me explicó que era el presidente y que estaba en una reelección,” cuenta Lorena. “Tenía yo seis o siete años. Me dijo que un presidente es quien se … Read more

Chávez’s ‘Golden Generation’ Is Now Fighting Chavismo

Leer en español Lorena remembers her first impression of Hugo Chávez. He was the man in the poster that her father brought from the polling station after casting his vote. “He explained to me that he was the president and he was facing a re-election,” Lorena recalls. She was around six years old. “He told … Read more