The Latin American Report # 231
Venezuelan opposition gathers its hopes in a new candidate
María Corina Machado, the main nemesis of Chavismo, will back former diplomat Edmundo González as the "definitive and unitary candidate" of the opposition for the next elections. In an uncommon dynamic within the divided Venezuelan opposition, they held "a high [and] respectful debate" this time. "We have chosen the new president of the Republic", exclaimed the executive secretary of the coalition for which Machado, disqualified, intended to run. "We want to acknowledge Manuel Rosales, who kept his word and decided to renounce his candidacy", said the referred official of the Democratic Unitary Platform about a coalition member.
On a positive note for the opposition, González is already registered before the electoral authority. He had been initially presented as a temporary candidate, hoping that the Government would allow the nomination of Corina Yoris, Machado's first choice to replace her. However, there is still doubt whether the Miraflores Palace will not trip up the unitary candidate. Should Maduro accept the challenge, it could be the most competitive election possible according to the explosive Venezuelan political context. At the same time, it would take a bit of pressure off Washington, which is in a jumping jack mode, on the one hand, without much desire to force the machine in terms of sanctions, and on the other, trying to show some "commitment" with the Venezuelan political process and the opposition factors.
Edmundo González, former ambassador to Argentina and Algeria (source)."Edmundo González's greatest asset is his ignorance (among the population) because it implies a very low level of rejection and a lot of possibility of growth in the face of the repudiation (in polls) of Maduro", says an academic on the potential of the "outsider" candidate. This narrative suggests that the discontent catches 4 out of 5 Venezuelans so the tanned red leader would lose by a landslide. It is clear to me that the Venezuelan reality is more complicated to read, and that Chavismo still treasures a non-negligible volume of followers despite all the hardships they have gone through between mismanagement, corruption, and U.S. sanctions. In response to a twisted assessment of Caracas' compliance with a deal signed with the opposition last year, the Biden administration let expire a license that propelled the Venezuelan economy through sanctions-free oil sales. Although in practice several companies will continue to participate in the sector.
A minor dies victim of stray bullets in an attack by hitmen in Colombia
In the Villanueva neighborhood of the city of Barranquilla, armed men entered a home shooting indiscriminately there, killing two men on the spot—there is talk of an internal purge in social media—and mortally wounding a minor in circumstances still unknown. "In the last hours in the city of Barranquilla, Villanueva sector, two male persons were killed with firearms. Unfortunately, a random projectile during the assassination hit the humanity of an [11-year-old boy] who was taken to a health care center, but due to the seriousness of the injuries he lost his life", said a senior official of the police of Barranquilla, who together with another administrative unit placed a reward equivalent to about 7,650 dollars to advance in the clarification of the facts, which occurred late yesterday, Friday. There are reports of the presence of criminal gangs in Barranquilla, dedicated mainly to extortion and drug trafficking.
SourceCuban government reports over 33% year-on-year inflation in March
The Cuban National Office of Statistics and Information indicated that inter-annual inflation stood at 33.17% in March, with the transportation sector leading price increases. The measurement is somehow flawed as it does not reflect the evolution of the Consumer Price Index in the informal market. In current conditions, the latter is more critical for users, while independent estimates value its inflation at around 500%. Going back to official estimates for March, transportation—where prices grew up to 48%—was followed in the "inflationary competition" by the restaurant and hotel sector (+41%) and food and non-alcoholic beverages (+37%). The Cuban crisis is strongly marked by structural problems of the domestic economy and the impact of the U.S. sanctions instituted in 1960 by Dwight Eisenhower, which today are the most comprehensive applied by Washington worldwide.
SourceParaguay seizes 7 tons of marijuana
Authorities of the South American country raided two rural properties located in the department of San Pedro, where they found a total of 7.1 tons of chopped marijuana. In addition, the National Anti-Drug Secretariat also reported that they destroyed almost ten hectares of illicit plantations and six production facilities. The drugs were mainly destined to supply the Brazilian market "through criminal structures" operating in a department bordering the South American giant. The authorities estimate to have seized a total of 34 tons of Cannabis, while "[the] loss of profit generated to the drug trafficking financiers is more than $1 million, according to the price of the drug in [Paraguay]". Already in Brazil, the potential profit could reach $5 million. By the way, last Saturday, security forces in the Amazonian state of Pará (Brazil) made "the largest drug seizure in [its] history," exceeding 3 tons. The illicit cargo was found on a boat carrying another 3 tons of fish finally donated to the needy population of Pará.
Chopped marijuana seized by Paraguayan agents (source).And this is all for our report today. I have referenced the sources dynamically in the text, and remember you can learn how and where to follow the LATAM trail news by reading my work here. Have a nice day.
