The following sources that were reviewed are based on the effects that the corrupted Venezuelan government has had on the country’s population. Sources also address the deteriorating economy, the increasing amount of Venezuelan immigrants, and the pressing opposition, who do everything they can to bring the current government down.
Political Context
Hugo Chavez was born into a poor family in 1954 in rural Venezuela and managed to rise through the military. After leading a failed coup in 1992 and being imprisoned, he was released and granted an official pardon by then-President Caldera. This made it possible for him to be elected as Venezuela’s 64th president in 1998. Chavez led the country until his unexpected death. Before dying, he chose Nicolas Maduro as his “political son,” by naming him his successor (Duddy). Maduro faced the most influential figure from the opposition, Henrique Capriles, in the elections following Chavez’s death and won by a very slim margin, which had people questioning his legitimacy (The Economist, 2013). Maduro invoked Chavez at all times to maximize his chances of winning, although some say this made him lose a big part of the Chavistas, or Chavez supporters(Duddy).
Economic Result
After Chavez’s presidency and despite the high price of oil, Venezuela’s economy was in the negatives (The Economist, 2013). This might seem surprising, since Venezuela had a huge oil “boom” in 2000 (Bugnacki). Where has all the profit from oil sale gone? Maybe a better question is, “who took it?” Due to the corruption, Venezuela’s budget has not been monitored closely and inflation rates have grown incredibly. To avoid bankruptcy and debt, the country has had to spend more than $25 billion from its reserves. However, the solutions the leaders are trying to implement have proven futile. The situation is terrible. There is no producing, no exporting, and barely any importing. Supermarket shelves are empty; people are hungry (The Economist, 2016). Desperate measures have been taken in order to save electricity, including officially cutting the 5-day work week to a 2-day work week (Miroff).
People react
Venezuelans are desperate for change, and they protest in any way they can (The Economist, 2016). Social media and street riots are all viable platform to express their anger, anger at the thieves who have made their country crumble. They have also made political movements, attempted to make amendments, and most recently, are trying to impeach Maduro through a referendum. People have had to move, not because they have given up hope, but because they need a better life and unfortunately, they know that Venezuela can no longer provide this. Heartbroken, most choose to immigrate to Colombia, Panama or the United States. There, they tend to engage in business work or revalidate their studies to become professionals in what is their new home. This rapid emigration has left the country needing both professionals and workers, deeply hurting its economy and social structure. References:
Duddy, P. (2013). Venezuela after Chavez. American Diplomacy, 18-22.
Stavrakakis, Y., Kioupkiolis, A., Katsambekis, G., Nikisianis, N., & Siomos, T. (2016). Contemporary Left-wing Populism in Latin America: Leadership, Horizontalism, and Postdemocracy in Chávez's Venezuela. Latin American Politics & Society, 58(3), 51-76.
Bugnacki, J. (2015). What's Wrong with Venezuela?. International Policy Digest, 2(11), 153-157.
A circus without a ringmaster. (2013). Economist, 408(8843), 31-32.
Trouble on the streets. (2016). Economist, 35-36.
Guanipa, C., Nolte, L., & Guanipa, J. (2002). Important Considerations in the Counseling Process of Immigrant Venezuelan Families. American Journal Of Family Therapy, 30(5), 427-438.
Miroff, N. (2016, April 27). Venezuela declares a 2-day workweek because of dire energy shortages. Retrieved September 23, 2016, from https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2016/04/27/venezuela-declares-a-2-day-workweek-because-of-dire-energy-shortages/