Venezuelan election 2018

"The President of the People's Republic of China Xi Jinping congratulated Nicolas Maduro for his reelection as the President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela in the name of the Chinese government, its people and himself. 'I'm willing to work with you to strengthen the exchange between both countries,' wrote President Xi Jin Ping."

https://twitter.com/telesurenglish/status/999515336780087297

Congratulations to Nicolas Maduro on his Re-Election as President of Venezuela

http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/57507

"In his message, Vladimir Putin expressed his confidence that Nicolas Maduro's work  as head of state will continue to contribute to the development of strategic partnership between the two countries..."

I’m going to throw some stuff into this thread and wing it as I go along ok?

https://www-m.cnn.com/2018/05/20/americas/venezuela-elections/index.html

and here’s another link

http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2017-10/26/c_136705779.htm

Ok so to me it looks like a lot of countries are out to stick it to Maduros. 

But from that other link I posted from China, these same characters play a different tune when it’s a big player with big pull getting re-elected. 

Venezuela: Canada Sanctions Violate International Law

https://www.telesurtv.net/english/news/Canada-Sanctions-Violate-Public-I...

"Venezuela has condemned the latest round of sanctions imposed by the Canadian government against several members of the Bolivarian government, calling them a 'blatant violation of the most fundemental rules of international law.'

Venezuela says with the sanctions, Canada has continued 'their foreign policy of humiliating subordination to the racist and supremacist administration of Donald Trump.  Facts suggest that this servile policy of the Canadian authorities is the result of that government's urgency to avoid losing benefits and preferences in the trade agreements with the United States,' the statement added."

What an odious toady Canada is. Welcome to  Chrystia Freeland's 'feminist foreign policy' hard at work for you and America Canucklheads..

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Venezuela has condemned the latest round of sanctions imposed by the Canadian government against several members of the Bolivarian government, calling them a 'blatant violation of the most fundemental rules of international law.

These sanctions, against 18 individuals, are actually an UPGRADED version of the sanctions that were described as a "crime against humanity" in the previous Venezuela thread.

That hyperbole brought to us by NDPP, of course.

Maybe I've misunderstood, though.  Maybe the population of Venezuela is those 18 people?  Is that why these sanctions are the "real" reason nobody can buy corn flour???  Why some are suggesting that Venezuela's inflation will soon be hitting [2.5 x 10^4]%?  Sorry for the math puzzle; it's just easier to use scientific notation now.

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after a systematic investigation on the effects of  Western sanctions being applied against Venezuela

Sanctions being applied against...

Venezuela??

Or 18 citizens?

Mr. Magoo wrote:

Quote:

after a systematic investigation on the effects of  Western sanctions being applied against Venezuela

Sanctions being applied against...

Venezuela??

Or 18 citizens?

Sanctions being applied to people ONLY because they are high officials of a government the U.S. wants removed.  Therefore, it doesn't matter if they are applied to "individuals".

Mr. Magoo wrote:

If nothing else, it should be clear to any honest person that the sanctions aren't being applied to all the people of Venezuela.

Would you agree?

The sanctions are being applied to selected members of the elected government of a sovereign nation. It is an attack on the independence of the government by a foreign power and thus it is an attack on the people at large.

It is clear that despite your rhetoric to the contrary you do not believe in democracy or international law. Targeting people because they are part of a democratically elected government you want to change is the antithesis of the rule of law in the international sphere.

Venezuela Defies the US Empire Reelecting Maduro

https://www.counterpunch.org/2018/06/01/venezuela-defies-the-us-empire-r...

"The game plan for the US and its funded opposition is:

+ Declare elections that are lost but close as fraudulent

+Boycott elections that they don't have a chance of winning and call these fraudulent

+Then initiate street violence to provoke an over-reaction from the government.

US-aligned big-business in Venezuela has contributed to the opposition offensive by creating selective shortages in consumer goods as part of what has become known as the economic war. The US for its part declared Venezuela an 'extraordinary national security threat' in 2015 and has since piled on ever increasing economic sanctions. US-led diplomatic efforts have been designed to isolate Venezuela and further pressure Maduro simply to give up and resign..."

Sanctioning Venezuela: Pain for Pain's Sake

https://www.counterpunch.org/2018/06/01/sanctioning-venezuela-pain-for-p...

"As heart-breaking as it is for [North] Americans to think one country might meddle in another's affairs we've been meddling in Venezuela's. The US wants regime change, and has since Hugo Chavez put most Venezuelans, the poor ones on radar. But on what grounds? Anarchy? Tyranny? Corruption? To read and believe the hype, Maduro has gathered all the power and, simultaneously lost all control.  The resulting 'humanitarian crisis' affects, not only Venezuela, but provides the (notional) threats to US security that premise our sanctions. Sanctions that at least further - likely create - the humanitarian crisis..."

Grapes of Wrath in Rural Venezuela

El Maizal is a productive commune in rural Venezuela, nested between two states in the center of the country: Lara and Portuguesa. Our commune’s land, given to self-organized campesinos by President Chavez, is high-grade. Year after year, we have been harvesting to meet the needs of our community and the people of Venezuela. We believe that, in a global context that is marked by a profound economic crisis, we can help mitigate the impact of that crisis. We do this in (and for) our own communities, and we hope to do so beyond as well. We also have a work ethic and a deep commitment to the land. The craft of agriculture – to plant and to harvest – is our human condition by birth. It is the world that we were born into.

In the last few months we faced a turbulent situation in Venezuela with deep internal and external contradictions. Then, after the May 20 electoral victory, came Nicolas Maduro’s call upon the people to become active subjects in the structural transformations that our country requires. We, who have always taken seriously our roles as subjects of transformation – as Chavista campesinos and as working people – took the president’s words seriously and decided to do our part.

So we turned the page and moved forward with an economic, territorial and organizational plan. However, in doing so, we have had clashes with powerful bureaucrats who administer the state’s resources and funding. In these interactions, we have witnessed time and again the conflict between the old bourgeois state and the emerging future communal and socialist state. This clash has become tangible and material again in the last few weeks.

About a week ago, on May 26, the National Guard’s National Anti-Kidnapping and Extortion Command (CONAS) arrived at the Maizal Commune. Their objective wasn’t to support or encourage the collective project. Could you tell us what happened and, more importantly, why it happened?

The CONAS arrived at our commune supposedly following the trail of a group of illegal traffickers who sell, outside of the regular channels, supplies of Agropatria (which is the government-owned and operated supplier of seeds and other agricultural inputs).

But to understand what happened on that day, we have to go back in time...

On April 28, we received state financing directly from the hands of President Nicolas Maduro in Carora, near the Maizal Commune. This funding was granted so that we could go ahead with the sowing of corn in May.

Most of the month of May went by and still we were unable to purchase the seed and inputs that we need through the regular channels. Why? Because Agropatria does not respond to the needs of small and midsize producers. Thus, we were obliged to purchase inputs outside of the regular channels, as most small producers have had to do. In effect, this is because the government is not solving the problem of the illegal trafficking of these inputs.

In any case, as campesinos we have no option but to produce. So towards the end of May, as the planting season was coming to a close, we were forced to purchase seed from unofficial sellers: some 300 sacks of corn seed (in fact, what we actually need is 1500 sacks for the 1300 hectares of our land that are usually dedicated to growing corn).

The CONAS came to El Maizal on May 26. We were already “guilty” in their eyes, having committed the “crime” of purchasing inputs for the seasonal planting. This national police force came into the commune in their typical bullying style. They confiscated our phones. We were held for some six hours and taken to a National Guard jail in Portuguesa state. Eventually, we were released.....

Embarrassing Defeat for the U. S. in Its Efforts to Expel Venezuela from the OAS

At the OAS nineteen member states voted in favor, four against and eleven abstained when the US tried to have Venezuela sanctioned. US will not hesitate to bear tremendous pressure on member countries to get its way in Latin America. We speak to CEPR’s Mark Weisbrot about the vote and how it came about

[Right-Wing] "Colombia President-Elect Ivan Duque has held a phone conversation with US VP Mike Pence, during which the pair reportedly discussed ways to ramp up the drug war and committed to applying pressure on Venezuela."

https://twitter.com/telesurenglish/status/1010666315504181248

"Why Can't the US Just Simply Invade?' Officials Say Trump Pushed US Military Overthrow in Venezuela

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/49787.htm

"Surrounded by his top military aides in a White House meeting less than a year ago, the Associated Press on Wednesday reports that President Donald Trump wanted to know why the US military couldn't 'just simply invade' the country of Venezuela..."

Because the US military knows the Venezuelans would eat them for breakfast. That's why.

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Because the US military knows the Venezuelans would eat them for breakfast. That's why.

Americans for breakfast is better than no breakfast at all.  Beats eating zoo animals.

Mr. Magoo wrote:

Quote:

Because the US military knows the Venezuelans would eat them for breakfast. That's why.

Americans for breakfast is better than no breakfast at all.  Beats eating zoo animals.

Which would be an amusing statement if either you or the "opposition" had ever proposed anything that would have made food more available.  Besides which, if the "opposition" had won, they'd have made a deal with the IMF which would have required them to reduce domestic food production and import more food, the kind of deal Jamaica was forced to make in the Seventies(and which had no effect other than to make food more expensive for ordinary Jamaicans because that's what always happens when you're made to import most of the food.

Mr. Magoo wrote:

... I'm reading that Venezuela is planning to Liquid Paper out the last three zeros on their currency.

It's actually the last 5 zeroes.

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/07/27/venezuelan-inflation-predicted-to-hit-1-...

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In an attempt to fight hyperinflation, Maduro announced Thursday plans to cut five zeros off the country's currency, rather than the three he had previously said. The new notes will come into circulation next month.

However, even the highest denomination note will only be worth $6 by the end of August and as little as 20 cents by the end of the year, the Financial Times reported Friday.

As a result, Venezuelans are fleeing the country. According to data from the United Nations, published last May, over 1.5 million people have left the county since 2014.

"Thousands continue to legally enter daily in neighboring countries," the report said, adding that expectations are the flows will continue during 2018.

..more from #35. my bold.

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Economic policy

The question arises, however: from where will the money come to meet the necessary and just wage demands of the workers? This is the crucial issue. There is a sharp debate amongst different trends in the Bolivarian movement about the reasons for the crisis and what economic policies should be used to combat it. Some, like former minister Jesús Farías, argue for a complete abandonment of foreign exchange controls, which he argues have not worked. Others, like former minister Luís Salas and economist Pascualina Curcio, say that the devaluation of the currency is mainly “induced” by a concerted attack on the Bolivar, carried out through websites which act as indicators for the black market exchange rate (like Dollar Today and others).

This is wrong as it confuses the symptom for the cause. The existence of a black market for dollars is not the result of the existence of a website that says dollars are worth 3.5 million Bolivars. On the contrary, it is the scarcity of dollars in relation to the demand that drives its price up. Capitalists engage in a flight of capital because they have no confidence that investing their money in Bolivars in the local economy will guarantee them what they consider to be a reasonable rate of profit. At bottom, the main reason for this is the fact that, in Venezuela, a revolution took place that has encouraged workers to, amongst other things, take over factories. There was also government expropriation in the past. No sane capitalist would invest under these circumstances.

Added to this is the fact that the government, by implementing foreign exchange controls, has been allocating a limited amount of dollars at subsidised prices for importation. The Venezuelan economy, heavily distorted by oil production, is largely reliant on imports. The mechanism of subsidised dollars for importation, however, became a conduit for a massive transfer of the oil revenue to the private sector. Companies that need to import (and others which do not), apply for preferential dollars, which they then exchange on the black market, making a massive profit without the need to produce or import anything. Hundreds of billions of dollars from the oil rent have been handed over to the capitalists in this way.

The Venezuelan economic crisis was triggered by the collapse of the price of oil after 2013, but what the crisis revealed starkly is the impossibility of regulating capitalism. If you attempt to do so, by imposing price controls, foreign exchange controls, tight labour protection laws and so on you will end up with a flight of capital and a capital investment strike.

Of course, the Venezuelan economic crisis is exacerbated by corruption, mismanagement, imperialist sanctions and deliberate economic sabotage. But these are aggravating factors, not the root cause of the crisis.

Farías and others partially identify the problem of controls. Their solution is to lift them all and therefore to allow the ‘normal’ functioning of capitalism. That is one possible way out of the crisis, one in which the workers would be made to pay. If you remove all controls from the economy and allow capitalism to come out of the crisis using its own methods, we know full well how this will be done. There will be mass layoffs of workers, closing down of factories, destruction of the productive forces, the privatisation of state-owned companies and so on.

quote:

The continuation of the present situation in any case already represents a massive adjustment plan, which the workers are paying for through the destruction of the purchasing power of wages.

What is the solution, then? The only way out of the crisis that would benefit the working people of Venezuela would be to expropriate the capitalists, bankers and landowners in order to create a democratically planned economy under workers’ control. Venezuela in the last 15 years has provided many examples of the superiority of workers’ control over both private capitalism and the bureaucratic management in the public sector. However, the state bureaucracy and the government have asphyxiated workers’ control, which is now at its lowest point.

Venezuela Introduces New Measures to Halt Hyperinflation: Will they Work?

Venezuela’s hyperinflation is now exceeding 200% per month. President Maduro plans to introduce a new currency that is tied to Venezuela’s oil basket, but will the measures work and how has inflation affected the general population? We discuss these issues with Cira Pascual Marquina of Venezuelanalysis.com and TRNN’s Greg Wilpert

quote:

CIRA PASCUAL MARQUINA: Well, in terms of how the measures have been received, I mean, there have been measures, there have been attempts to put in place measures through the crisis. And so, people are sort of lukewarm every time that there’s a bunch of announcements. Now, Greg was mentioning the measure of tying the Bolivar to the Petrol, and that has generated a little bit of expectations. I personally think that it’s more a symbolic measure than a real concrete measure that will have an impact, for it to actually work, the state, the government will have to be able to place dollars and there would have to be the possibility of circling Bolivars to Petros to dollars with the participation of the state in placing the dollars. So, actually placing the dollars in the market, offering the dollars. But the state has limited dollars.

So, that one measure has created some expectations. What is it to live in life in Venezuela? Well, with an economy that is highly inflationary, basically we see perspectives on the horizon that are not radical in terms of transformation. And later we can go into that. Basically, people are looking for individual solutions. People are making tremendous- people are actually committing themselves, of course, to solving the problems of their families. But the collective solution is that, from my perspective would be, the solution is that we take us out of that kind of crisis, are not kind of in the collective horizon.

And I think they are not in a the collective crisis because the collective solution is the commune and the government does not seem to place a great deal of importance in the communal project in this moment. So, basically, logically, what we see is a great deal of individualism simulaneously wtih sacrifices, family sacrificing themselves. So many people are going out of the country to send remittances to their families. That is of course a sacrifice. Mothers making long queues to get food in supermarkets, that is a sacrifice. But they are sacrifices that are individual or for the family, and the collective horizon is not on the table at this moment.

The reason price controls in Venezuela didn't work is because the government seemed to think that private producers would act as charities, and that's likely going to be a non-starter.

..you just made this up magoo. nobody thinks that and that includes the venezuelan government. things are/were much more complex.

..the only way magoo, i figure you can understand what is and has been going on is through the lens of class struggle. and what role the different forces have and are playing. not by arguing economics.

..of course you can. in fact it's the only way forward in this case mainly because economics is directly related to class war. how things came about and once that is understood how to move forward. for instance in the piece i posted which you quoted from..it's answer is a collective solution..workers control. 

FWIW, epaulo, I'm not even arguing against collectivist organization in Venezuela.  I just think that whether it's a centralized government overseeing monetary policy or a collective of the people overseeing monetary policy, it's a change to monetary policy (or, policies) that's needed in the context of inflation.

Maybe collectivism could help out in the context of domestic food production.  I wouldn't argue against that idea. 

Fair enough.  Though if something could fix just ONE of Canada's problems, I'd call that a good start.

If you're referring to the U.S., Ken, I don't think the U.S. could -- or has tried to -- prevent Venezuela from having one official exchange rate for everyone, nor from not printing currency to pay IOUs.  Why do you blame the U.S. for all of Venezuela's sovereign decisions?