Venezuela is in the midst of a severe economic crisis, suffering from food and power shortages. President Nicolas Maduro has issued a state of emergency decree to try and regain control of the situation, but demonstrators have held massive rallies in opposition. Professor Yang Zhimin of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, David Fermin from the Andres Bello Catholic University and Maricruz MaGowan of the National Economists Club discuss the possible options left for the Latin American country.
Entrevista para el programa World Insight canal chino CCTV el 20 de mayo de 2016.
Bread, medicine and toilet paper are just some of the basic necessities Venezuelans are struggling to find.
Low oil prices all over the world have hit the country hard. Public services are disappearing and US officials are warning that the entire country is on the brink of collapse.
President Nicolas Maduro has announced a state of emergency to deal with the economic crisis. He says it is necessary to combat what he calls foreign aggression, which he blames for Venezuela’s problems.
Government officials say the state of emergency will allow better distribution of resources.
But it could also give security forces more power. Critics are also worried about Maduro’s threat to seize closed factories.
So what impact will this crisis have on Venezuela and the region?
Presenter: Folly Bah Thibault
Guests:
Sonia Schott – Independent journalist and political analyst
Daniel Fermin – Researcher for the Center of Political Studies at the Andres Bello Catholic University
Vanessa Neumann – Founder and CEO of the trade integrity consultancy firm Asymmetrica
Venezuela’s opposition alliance is pursuing a multi-pronged strategy to dislodge President Nicolas Maduro.
This strategy involves street protests, a referendum or, alternatively, an amendment to the constitution that would cut short the president’s term.
Hoping to capitalise on anger over a deep recession, triple-digit inflation and soaring crime, Maduro’s critics have set themselves a timeframe of six months to achieve their goal. They evidently hope to build on the opposition bloc’s landslide victory in December’s general election, when it won nearly two-thirds of seats in parliament.
Some constitutional experts argue that a constitutional amendment to shorten the presidential term would only be applicable to presidents elected in the future, and that Maduro would finish his six-year term anyway.
Similarly, a recall referendum would face an extended series of legal steps that might or might not culminate in the president leaving office.
So will the opposition’s plan work? And how is the dire economic crisis contributing to instability in Venezuela?
Presenter: Laura Kyle
Guests:
Phil Gunson: Senior analyst, International Crisis Group
Sonia Schott: Journalist and political analyst
Daniel Fermin: Researcher, Center of Political Studies, Andreas Bello Catholic University
Entrevista para el programa Inside Story de la cadena Al Jazeera el 15 de marzo de 2016.
En entrevista con Isnardo Bravo, el sociólogo Daniel Fermín destaca la responsabilidad del CNE y de los partidos políticos en permitir el alivio a las tensiones sociales.
Daniel Fermín 