The modern Venezuelan government was founded upon a tumultuous political origin. In the 1990s, Hugo Chavez led a coup attempt and failed, yet was elected president in 1998. Under a socialist regime, Chavez provided social welfare to Venezuelans while prioritizing increasing the country’s dependence on oil. The eventual collapse of global oil prices instigated Venezuela’s road to economic collapse. With the election of his successor in 2013, Nicolas Maduro, the economic crisis significantly worsened and opposition groups contested his victory. His re-election in December 2020 was considered flawed and undemocratic. The economy went into hyperinflation, and human rights concerns during his presidency have included brutal policing, arbitrary arrests, torture, violations of free speech, and more in order to maintain power. In 2019, Juan Guaidó, an opposition leader, took over as interim president after numerous claims of a rigged election under Maduro.
Decades of political turmoil have created a state of increasing hyperinflation, refugee and food crises, and violence. One out of three Venezuelans are food insecure (over 9 million people), there are six million refugees and asylym-seekers from the country, and neighboring countries are unable to provide services for the overwhelming amount of incoming refugees.
Peace attempts:
Maduro’s contested presidency instigated a split international response. Over 50 countries including the US, EU, Canada, and the OAS support the interim presidency of Guaidó while China, Turkey, Russia, and Cuba support Maduro. This has resulted in increased US sanctions on Maduro’s government, Russian military support to Venezuela, and a worsening humanitarian crisis as Maduro blocks aid. Attempted peace talks between Maduro’s government and the opposition, held in 2019, failed to make any progress.
In August 2021, the Maduro government and the opposition agreed to attend peace talks in Mexico City, assisted by Norway, to discuss the humanitarian crisis. In October, the Maduro government withdrew, and these peace talks have yet to be continued today.
