Shortages in Venezuela have been prevalent following the enactment of price controls and other policies during the economic policy of the Hugo Chávez government. Under the economic policy of the Nicolás Maduro government, greater shortages occurred due to the Venezuelan government's policy of withholding United States dollars from importers with price controls. Shortages occur in regulated products, such as milk, various types of meat, coffee, rice, oil, flour, butter, and other goods including basic necessities like toilet paper, personal hygiene products, and even medicine. As a result of the shortages, Venezuelans must search for food, wait in lines for hours and sometimes settle without having certain products.
Shortages
Venezuela
Venezuela | Shortages
Yes, products like milk, various meats, basic necessities etc. Yes, shortages in Venezuela have been prevalent Shortages occur in regulated products, such as milk, various types of meat, coffee, rice, oil, flour, butter, basic necessities like toilet paper, personal hygiene products, and  medicine. Yes, milk, various types of meat, coffee, rice, oil, flour, butter, etc.
what is the symbol of flag of ecuador?
user
It consists of horizontal bands of yellow (double width), blue and red.
assistant
who designed it?
user
Sorry. I cannot find the answer based on the context.
assistant
does it resemble any other flag?
user
Yes, Colombia and Venezuela
assistant
which pledge is related to it?
user
Juramento a la Bandera
assistant
does the above latter country face any kind of shortage?
user
Zambrano said "Families are doing things that not only lead them to break physically, but in general, socially, we are being morally broken".
Shortages in Venezuela | Psychological
The survey had also stated that 83% of Venezuelans were living in poverty, 93% could no longer afford food and that one million Venezuelan school children did not attend classes "due to hunger and a lack of public services".
Shortages in Venezuela | Statistics
In December 2019, "Reuters" reported that according to experts, "Venezuela faces a generation of young people who will never meet their full physical or mental potential", compounding the damage towards Venezuela's development as a result of shortages.
Shortages in Venezuela | Hunger
President Maduro said he recognized there is hunger in Venezuela, though he blamed it on an economic war. Yván Gil, Venezuela's vice minister of relations to the European Union, denied a "humanitarian crisis". Instead he stated there was simply "a decrease in the availability of food", saying an "economic war" had affected "the availability of food, but we are still within the thresholds set by the UN". In an "Al Jazeera" interview with president of the Constituent Assembly Delcy Rodríguez, she stated, "I have denied and continue denying that Venezuela has a humanitarian crisis". As a result, international intervention in Venezuela would not be justified.
Shortages in Venezuela | Censorship and denial
Shortages in Venezuela of regulated food staples and basic necessities have been widespread following the enactment of price controls and other policies under the government of Hugo Chávez and exacerbated by the policy of withholding United States dollars from importers under the government of Nicolás Maduro. The severity of the shortages has led to the largest refugee crisis ever recorded in the Americas. The Maduro administration has denied the extent of the crisis; and has refused to accept humanitarian aid from Amnesty International, the United Nations, and other groups as conditions have worsened. The United Nations and the Organization of American States have stated that the shortages have resulted in unnecessary deaths in Venezuela and urged the government to accept humanitarian aid.
Shortages in Venezuela | Introduction
The drop of oil prices beginning in 2014 made it impossible for the government to import necessary goods for Venezuelans, though by this point the country was largely reliant on imports.
Shortages in Venezuela | Overspending and import reliance
Venezuelans were spending "all day waiting in lines" to buy rationed food, "pediatric wards filled up with underweight children, and formerly middle-class adults began picking through rubbish bins for scraps", according to Al Jazeera. Several other factors have led to shortages: imports over the two years until the end of 2017 declined by two-thirds; hyperinflation has made food too costly for many Venezuelans; and for those who depend on food boxes supplied by the government, "these do not reach all Venezuelans who need them, provision of boxes is intermittent, and receipt is often linked to political support of the government".
Crisis in Venezuela during the Bolivarian Revolution | Food and water
During the presidential crisis between the Venezuelan governments of Nicolás Maduro and Juan Guaidó, a coalition of Colombia, Brazil, the United States and the Netherlands attempted to bring essential goods as a response to shortages in Venezuela. The three main bases used for the operation are: the Colombian city of Cúcuta, the Brazilian state of Roraima, (specifically Boa Vista and Pacaraima), and the island of Curaçao, of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Shortages in Venezuela have occurred since the presidency of Hugo Chávez, with the country experiencing a scarcity rate of 24.7% in January 2008. Shortages became commonplace in the country in 2012.
2019 shipping of humanitarian aid to Venezuela | Introduction
Amnesty International, the United Nations and other groups have offered aid to Venezuela. The Venezuelan government has declined such assistance, however, with Delcy Rodriguez denying in a September 2017 that Venezuela faced a humanitarian crisis. Venezuelans in other countries often organize benefits for those living in Venezuela, collecting products and shipping them to those they trust there. Experts say that due to the extreme state of shortages, it is necessary for many international family members to send essentials to their families.
Shortages in Venezuela | International aid
She also described statements by Venezuelans calling for international assistance as "treasonous".
Shortages in Venezuela | Censorship and denial
Shortages in Venezuela became prevalent after price controls were enacted according to the economic policy of the Hugo Chávez government. Under the economic policy of the Nicolás Maduro government, greater shortages occurred due to the Venezuelan government's policy of withholding United States dollars from importers with price controls. Some Venezuelans must search for food—occasionally resorting to eating wild fruit or garbage—wait in lines for hours and sometimes settle without having certain products.
Crisis in Venezuela during the Bolivarian Revolution | Shortages
Shortages in Venezuela have been prevalent following the enactment of price controls and other policies during the economic policy of the Hugo Chávez government. Under the economic policy of the Nicolás Maduro government, greater shortages occurred due to the Venezuelan government's policy of withholding United States dollars from importers with price controls. Shortages occur in regulated products, such as milk, various types of meat, coffee, rice, oil, flour, butter, and other goods including basic necessities like toilet paper, personal hygiene products, and even medicine. As a result of the shortages, Venezuelans must search for food, wait in lines for hours and sometimes settle without having certain products.
Venezuela | Shortages
Following the attack, individuals injured could not receive treatment due to the shortage of medical supplies in the country and because the Bolivarian government prohibited the National Assembly from having proper medical insurance. Many asked for donations of gauze, bandages, antibiotics, antiseptics, IV solutions and painkillers.
2017 Venezuelan National Assembly attack | Shortage of medical supplies
Maduro's government has blamed the shortages on "bourgeois criminals" hoarding goods. A drought, combined with a lack of planning and maintenance, has caused a hydroelectricity shortage. To deal with lack of power supply, in April 2016 the Maduro government announced rolling blackouts and reduced the government workweek to only Monday and Tuesday. A multi-university study found that, in 2016 alone, about 75% of Venezuelans lost weight due to hunger, with the average losing about 8.6 kg (19 lbs) due to the lack of food.
Venezuela | Shortages
The National Assembly of Venezuela, with an opposition majority, declared a "humanitarian health crisis" on 24 January 2016, in view of "the serious shortage of medicines, medical supplies and deterioration of the humanitarian infrastructure", demanding from the government of Nicolás Maduro "guarantee immediately access to the list of essential medicines that are basic, indispensable and imprescindible and must be accessible at all times". In a September 2017 "Al Jazeera" interview with president of the Constituent Assembly Delcy Rodríguez, she stated, "I have denied and continue denying that Venezuela has a humanitarian crisis". As a result, international intervention in Venezuela would not be justified.
2019 shipping of humanitarian aid to Venezuela | Shortages in Venezuela
Students in Zulia state also demonstrated against the proposed system. Lorenzo Mendoza, the president of Empresas Polar, Venezuela's largest food producer, expressed his disagreement with the proposed system, saying it would penalize 28 million Venezuelans for the smuggling carried out by just a few. Days after the announcement, the Venezuelan government scaled back its plans for implementing the new system, saying it was now voluntary and is only for 23 basic goods. Despite public displeasure with the system, in an October 2014 "Wall Street Journal" article, it was reported that the fingerprint rationing system had expanded to more state-owned markets.
Shortages in Venezuela | Reaction to rationing
In 2013, the government of Venezuela seized the Manufactora de Papel toilet paper factory in an attempt to reduce shortages; it had also seized several large farms to try to address food shortages.
Shortages in Venezuela | Supplier seizures
During the presidency of Chávez, Venezuela faced occasional shortages owing to high inflation and government financial inefficiencies. In 2005, Chávez announced the initiation of Venezuela's own "great leap forward", following the example of Mao Zedong's Great Leap Forward. An increase in shortages began to occur that year as 5% of items became unavailable according to the Central Bank of Venezuela. In January 2008, 24.7% of goods were reported to be unavailable in Venezuela, with the scarcity of goods remaining high until May 2008, when there was a shortage of 16.3% of goods. However, shortages increased again in January 2012 to nearly the same rate as in 2008.
Shortages in Venezuela | Chávez administration
Shortages in Venezuela have occurred since the presidency of Hugo Chávez, with the country experiencing a scarcity rate of 24.7% in 2007. Venezuela has also been suffering a socioeconomic crisis under Nicolás Maduro, as rampant crime, hyperinflation and shortages diminished the quality of life since 2010. Beginning in 2015, the Maduro government rejected offers of aid, stating that there was no humanitarian crisis in Venezuela and that such claims were only used to justify foreign intervention; his refusal of aid worsened the situation. The National Assembly of Venezuela declared a "health humanitarian crisis" in January 2016, given the "serious shortage of medicines, medical supplies and deterioration of humanitarian infrastructure", asking Maduro's government to "guarantee immediate access to (...) essential medicines".
Venezuela Aid Live | Background
As a result of the shortages and price controls, arbitrage (or "bachaqueo"), the ability to buy low and sell high, came about in Venezuela. For example, goods subsidized by the Venezuelan government were smuggled out of the country and sold for a profit. Hoarding also increased as Venezuelan consumers grew nervous over shortages.
Shortages in Venezuela | Arbitrage and hoarding
Facing a shortage of supplies and medicine, they were instructed to withhold treatment–even for emergencies–so supplies and treatment could be "doled out closer to the election, part of a national strategy to compel patients to vote for the government". They reported that life-saving treatment was denied to patients who supported the opposition. As the election neared, they were sent door-to-door, on house visits with a political purpose: "to hand out medicine and enlist voters for Venezuela's Socialist Party". Patients were warned that they could lose their medical care if they did not vote for the socialist party, and that, if Maduro lost, ties would be broken with Cuba, and Venezuelans would lose all medical care.
Shortages in Venezuela | Medical care used for political gain
Without settling its outstanding debt, Venezuela could not import the materials necessary for domestic production. Without such imports, more shortages were created since there was an increasing lack of production as well.
Shortages in Venezuela | Currency and price controls
Group Grand Limited would sell foodstuffs to CLAP and receive government funds. On 19 April 2018, after a multilateral meeting between over a dozen European and Latin American countries, United States Department of the Treasury officials stated that they had collaborated with Colombian officials to investigate corrupt import programs of the Maduro administration including CLAP. They explained that Venezuelan officials pocketed 70% of the proceeds allocated for importation programs destined to alleviate hunger in Venezuela. Treasury officials said they sought to seize the proceeds that were being funneled into the accounts of corrupt Venezuelan officials and hold them for a possible future government in Venezuela.
Shortages in Venezuela | Local Supply and Production Committee (CLAP)
Following Chávez's death and the election of his successor Nicolás Maduro in 2013, shortage rates continued to increase and reached a record high of 28% in February 2014. Venezuela stopped reporting its shortage data after the rate stood at 28%. In January 2015, the hashtag #AnaquelesVaciosEnVenezuela (or #EmptyShelvesInVenezuela) was the number one trending topic on Twitter in Venezuela for two days, with Venezuelans posting pictures of empty store shelves around the country. In August 2015, American private intelligence agency company Stratfor used two satellite images of Puerto Cabello, Venezuela's main port used for importing goods, to show how severe shortages had become in Venezuela.
Shortages in Venezuela | Maduro administration
In 2015, only 35% of hospital beds were available and 50% of operating rooms could not function due to the lack of resources and it was reported by the Venezuelan NGO Red de Medicos por la Salud that there was a 68% shortage of surgical supplies and a 70% shortage of medicines in Venezuelan pharmacies. In that year, the Human Rights Watch said that they "have rarely seen access to essential medicines deteriorate as quickly as it has in Venezuela except in war zones."
Shortages in Venezuela | Medicine and medical supplies
Shortages in Venezuela became prevalent after price controls were enacted according to the economic policy of the Hugo Chávez government. Under the economic policy of the Nicolás Maduro government, greater shortages occurred due to the Venezuelan government's policy of withholding United States dollars from importers with price controls. Shortages occur in regulated products, such as milk, meat, chicken, coffee, rice, oil, precooked flour, and butter; and also basic necessities like toilet paper, personal hygiene products and medicine. Some Venezuelans must search for food—occasionally resorting to eating wild fruit or garbage—wait in lines for hours and sometimes settle without having certain products.
2013–present economic crisis in Venezuela | Shortages
In February 2014, the government said it had confiscated more than 3,500 tons of contraband food and fuel at the border with Colombia, which it said was intended for "smuggling" or "speculation". The president of the National Assembly, Diosdado Cabello, said the confiscated food should be given to the Venezuelan people and should not be "in the hands of these gangsters." One month later, President Maduro introduced a "biometric card" called "Tarjeta de Abastecimiento Seguro," that required the user's fingerprint for purchases in state-run supermarkets or participating businesses. The device was allegedly meant to combat smuggling and price speculation. It has been described as being both like a loyalty program and a ration card.
Shortages in Venezuela | Food
According to economist Ángel Alayón, the availability of food throughout Venezuela is directly controlled and distributed by the government, even that through private companies. Alayón states the problem is not distribution, however, but production; he claims that nothing is being produced so over-regulation of distributors is irrelevant. Expropriations by the government resulted in a drop in production in Venezuela. According to Miguel Angel Santos, a researcher at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, the industry of goods production in Venezuela was destroyed as a result of expropriations of private means of production since 2004, while a growth in import consumerism occurred when Venezuela had abundant oil money.
Shortages in Venezuela | Overspending and import reliance
One image from February 2012 showed the ports full of shipping containers when the Venezuelan government's spending was near a historic high before the 2012 Venezuela presidential election. A second image from June 2015 shows the port with many fewer containers, since the Venezuelan government could no longer afford to import goods, as oil revenues dropped. At the end of 2015, it was estimated there was a shortage of over 75% of goods in Venezuela. By May 2016, experts feared that Venezuela was possibly entering a period of famine, with President Maduro encouraging Venezuelans to cultivate their own food. In January 2016, it was estimated, that the food scarcity rate ("") was between 50% and 80%.
Shortages in Venezuela | Maduro administration
According to Aristóbulo Istúriz, who was Vice President of Venezuela, the government-operated Local Supply and Production Committees (CLAP) that provides food to Venezuelans in need, are a "political instrument to defend the revolution". Allegations arose that only supporters of Maduro and the government were provided food, while critics were denied access to goods. PROVEA, a Venezuelan human rights group, described CLAPs as "a form of food discrimination that is exacerbating social unrest". Luisa Ortega Díaz, Chief Prosecutor of Venezuela from 2007 to 2017 revealed that President Maduro had profited from the food crisis. CLAP made contracts with Group Grand Limited, a Mexican entity owned by Maduro through frontmen Rodolfo Reyes, Álvaro Uguedo Vargas and Alex Saab.
Shortages in Venezuela | Local Supply and Production Committee (CLAP)
Due to the shortages and the associated hunger, many women began to be sterilized to avoid childbirth since they could not provide enough food for their families. Young men joined gangs to fight for food, often showing signs of injury following violent confrontations for morsels of meals. Families gathered at dumpsters in the evening to obtain goods. Children would attempt to take on jobs themselves to earn money for food or even run away so they could try to find sustenance on their own.
Shortages in Venezuela | Society
Ships containing imports would often be held at bay until military officials at Venezuela's ports were paid off. Officials bypassed standard practices, such as performing health inspections, pocketing money normally spent on such certificates. One anonymous businessman who participated in the lucrative food dealings with Venezuelan military officials, and had contracts valued at $131 million between 2012 and 2015, showed the Associated Press his accounts for his business in Venezuela. The government would contract him for more than double the actual cost for products. For example, one corn contract of $52 million would be $20 million more than the market average.
Shortages in Venezuela | Corruption
Demonstrations against the effects of shortages have occurred throughout Venezuela. In August 2014, many Venezuelans protested against the fingerprint rationing put in place by the government while protests against shortages grew from late-2014 into 2015. Of the 2,836 protests that occurred in the first half of 2015, a little more than one in six events were demonstrations against shortages. In 2016 after shortages of water began to occur, there were growing incidents of protest as a result.
Shortages in Venezuela | Protests
Part of the power rationing plan was to end the workday at 2 pm. In a tweet, the National Assembly President and Interim President of Venezuela Juan Guaidó said that rationing wasn't actually happening, and suggested that power was being diverted from smaller cities in Venezuela to Caracas to give the illusion that Maduro had fixed the problem after the fourth blackout. Guaidó also said that "anti-Maduro leaders" had made deals to import power through Colombia and Brazil to temporarily solve the problem, because there wasn't enough power even to ration.
Shortages in Venezuela | Utilities
Shortages in all kinds of contraceptives, as well as the fact that abortion is illegal, have caused sickness in many women, from both backalley abortions and illness caused by pregnancy in vulnerable women. In March 2019, it was reported that the "collapse" of the health system had caused the return of old and eradicated rare diseases like yellow fever, dengue, malaria, and tuberculosis, as well as a large increase in infant and maternal mortality rates. There was also concern than untreated migrants would begin to spread diseases to other countries. In 2014, the government could not supply enough money for medical supplies among healthcare providers, with doctors saying that 9 of 10 large hospitals had only 7% of required supplies and private doctors reporting numbers of patients that are "impossible" to count dying from easily treated illnesses due to the "downward sliding economy", and doctors at University of Caracas Medical Hospital stopped performing surgeries due to the lack of supplies, even though nearly 3,000 people required surgery.
Shortages in Venezuela | Medicine and medical supplies
Shortages in Venezuela have been present since 2007 during the presidency of Hugo Chávez. In 2016, the National Assembly of Venezuela declared a humanitarian crisis, asking Maduro's government to provide access to essential medicines and medical supplies. Before the presidential crisis, the Maduro government denied several offers of aid, stating that there was not a humanitarian crisis and that such claims were used to justify foreign intervention. Maduro's refusal of aid worsened the effects of Venezuela's crisis. During the presidential crisis, Maduro initially refused aid, stating that Venezuela is not a country of "beggars". Guaidó made bringing humanitarian aid to the country a priority.
Venezuelan presidential crisis | Humanitarian aid crisis
Life in Venezuela has dramatically changed since 2014. Today people wait in lines near supermarkets day-by-day waiting for a portion of rationed food that will only feed one or two members of the family for one week. Food shortages are rampant and many people waiting in line all day have had to leave the supermarkets with empty arms. Since the country suffered from hyperinflation since 2016, its people have dealt with unimaginable consequences. The average Venezuelan has lost nearly 24 lbs. After the economic crisis started, there has been looting and violence in the streets leaving wounded people without access to medical-care and essential provisions.
South American Initiative | Help Venezuela
Patients with chronic conditions, at risk of death if they couldn't get medicine, were a particular focus of these tactics. One said that government officials were posing as doctors to make these house calls before elections; 'We, the doctors, were asked to give our extra robes to people. The fake doctors were even giving out medicines, without knowing what they were or how to use them," he said.
Shortages in Venezuela | Medical care used for political gain
Pledging to honor "legal" and "financial" debt, Carlos Vecchio said that agreements in which Venezuela pays debt with oil (signed by the Maduro administration) may not be honored.
Juan Guaidó | Finance and economy
One member, 1st Lt. Luis Alberto Quero Silva of the Venezuelan National Guard, was arrested for possessing three tons of flour, which was likely part of a more elaborate graft operation among the country's military.
Shortages in Venezuela | Smuggling
The effect of the nightly closings was to be assessed after 30 days. Following large shortages in January 2015, Makro announced that some stores would begin using fingerprint systems and that customers would be rationed both daily and monthly.
Shortages in Venezuela | Food
Housing shortages were further exacerbated when private construction halted due to the fear of property expropriations and because of the government's inability to construct and provide housing. Urban theorist and author Mike Davis said in July 2011 to "The Guardian", "Despite official rhetoric, the Bolivarianist regime has undertaken no serious redistribution of wealth in the cities and oil revenues pay for too many other programmes and subsidies to leave room for new housing construction." By 2012, a shortage of building materials also disrupted construction, with metal production at a 16-year low. By the end of Chávez's presidency in 2013, the number of Venezuelans in inadequate housing had grown to 3 million.
Shortages in Venezuela | Housing
The Maduro government responded to Richard Branson's Venezuela Aid Live by holding its own rival concert on the Venezuelan side of the border with Colombia, at the Simón Bolívar International Bridge on 22 and 23 February. The slogan for the concert is "Nothing for war, hands off Venezuela". Information Minister Jorge Rodríguez said the government will distribute 20,000 boxes of subsidized food from the Local Committees for Supply and Production (CLAP) to the poor residents of Cúcuta in Colombia, and that free medical attention would be given to Colombians and Venezuelans. Guaidó characterized this announcement as a cynical joke, saying, "...
Local Committees for Supply and Production | "Hands off Venezuela" concert
In late 2018, 85% of essential medicines were declared as being scarce, and according to the UN, 300,000 individuals are at risk because they have not had access to essential medicines for over a year. The Government has stopped publishing data on national level health indicators in 2015, but the situation is believed to be dire.
Venezuelan refugee crisis | Health and healthcare access
Between 16–17 July, over 123,000 Venezuelans crossed into Colombia seeking food. The Colombian government set up what it called a "humanitarian corridor" to welcome Venezuelans. Around the same time in July 2016, reports of desperate Venezuelans rummaging through garbage for food appeared.
Shortages in Venezuela | Maduro administration
In an interview with President Maduro by "The Guardian", it was noted that a "significant proportion" of the subsidized basic goods in short supply were being smuggled into Colombia and sold for far higher prices. The Venezuelan government claims that as much as 40% of the basic commodities it subsidizes for the domestic market are being smuggled out of the country, into neighboring countries, like Colombia, where they are sold at much higher prices. However, economists disagree with the Venezuelan government's claim stating that only 10% of subsidized products are smuggled out of the country. In 2014, the Venezuelan government began to limit the quantities of certain items that individuals could purchase per month.
Economic policy of the Nicolás Maduro administration | Rationing and anti-shortage measures
Though "The New York Times" asserts that the Maduro administration and its economic irresponsibility has directly caused a lack of food, Maduro has stated that the country is fine in terms of access to food. There are shortages of milk, meat, coffee, rice, oil, precooked flour, butter, toilet paper, personal hygiene products and medicines. By January 2017, the shortage of medicines reached 85%, according to the Pharmaceutical Federation of Venezuela (Federación Farmacéutica de Venezuela). Hours-long lines have become common, and those who wait in them are sometimes disappointed. Some Venezuelans have resorted to eating wild fruit and garbage.
Shortages in Venezuela | Introduction
Recent government policies have led to problems with food shortages.
Economy of Venezuela | Agriculture
to mock the Venezuelan's people's needs in this way, you have to be very cynical" to take Venezuelan food to Colombia during Venezuela's humanitarian crisis.
Local Committees for Supply and Production | "Hands off Venezuela" concert
The newly elected National Assembly, composed primarily of opposition delegates, declared a national food crisis a month later in February 2016. Many Venezuelans then began to suffer from shortages of common utilities, such as electricity and water, because of the prolonged period of mishandling and corruption under the Maduro government. By July 2016, Venezuelans desperate for food moved to the Colombian border. Over 500 women stormed past Venezuelan National Guard troops into Colombia looking for food on 6 July 2016. By 10 July 2016, Venezuela temporarily opened its borders, which had been closed since August 2015, for 12 hours. Over 35,000 Venezuelans traveled to Colombia for food within that period.
Shortages in Venezuela | Maduro administration
An investigation led by Armando.info reported that nine members of the National Assembly defended individuals sanctioned by the United States for their involvement in the controversial Local Committees for Supply and Production (CLAP) program. The investigation reported that the implicated lawmakers had written letters of support to the United States Treasury and others to a Colombian man named Carlos Lizcano, who authorities were investigating over his possible links to Alex Saab, a Colombian businessman associated with the food distribution program and under United States sanctions. According to Armando.info, the lawmakers wrote the letters despite being aware of evidence that tied Lizcano to Saab.
Venezuelan presidential crisis | Guaidó loses support and Operación Alacrán
This included plans to distribute these products through the government's food distribution program CLAP—a program from which, according to the 2017 Venezuelan Attorney General and Mexican prosecutors, Maduro personally profits.
2019 shipping of humanitarian aid to Venezuela | Creation of the coalition
Two days later, on 22 April 2016, the minister of electricity, Luis Motta Dominguez, announced that beginning the following week, forced blackouts would occur throughout Venezuela four hours per day for the next 40 days. During prolonged blackouts in early 2019, power, water and necessities became increasingly scarce or completely unavailable in certain areas. To counter this, on 1 April, Maduro announced power rationing that would last for 30 days. It was hoped that this would preserve power for the areas that needed it most, prevent more blackouts, and make water, oil, and food more accessible as a result – the water lines were also out of service, whilst oil refineries, food production plants, and refrigeration shut down.
Shortages in Venezuela | Utilities
President Hugo Chávez' policies relied heavily on oil revenues to fund large quantities of imports. Production under Chávez dropped because of his price control policies and poorly managed expropriations. His successor, Nicolás Maduro, continued most of Chávez' policies until they became unsustainable. When oil profits began declining in 2014, Maduro began limiting imports needed by Venezuelans and shortages began to grow. Foreign reserves, usually saved for economic distress, were being spent to service debt and to avoid default, instead of being used to purchase imported goods. Domestic production, which had already been damaged by government policies, was unable to replace the necessary imported goods.
Shortages in Venezuela | Overspending and import reliance
Venezuelan consumers had mainly negative feelings toward the fingerprint rationing system, saying it created longer lines, especially when fingerprint machines malfunctioned. They felt the system did nothing to relieve shortages because the large economic changes the country needed to make were simply overlooked. Following the announcement of the fingerprint system, protests broke out denouncing the proposed move in many cities in Venezuela. The MUD opposition coalition called on Venezuelans to reject the new fingerprinting system and called on supporters to hold a nationwide "cacerolazo" (a noisy form of protest). These were primarily held in areas that traditionally opposed the government.
Shortages in Venezuela | Reaction to rationing
In 2013, President of the Venezuelan government's Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE) Elias Eljuri suggested that all shortages in the country were due to Venezuelan's eating, saying that "95% of people eat three or more meals a day" while referencing a national survey. However, data provided by INE showed that in 2013, food consumption by Venezuelans actually decreased. According to a survey titled "Encuesta Condiciones de Vida Venezuela 2014" that was conducted by the Central University of Venezuela, Simón Bolívar University and Andrés Bello Catholic University, 11.3% of Venezuelans ate two or less meals daily and 80.1% of Venezuelans could not afford food.
Economic policy of the Nicolás Maduro administration | Hunger
Maduro's government increased price controls after inflation grew and shortages of basic goods worsened. He called the policy an economic counterattack against the "parasitic bourgeoisie". Price regulators, with military backing, forced businesses to lower prices on everything from electronics to toys. One example is Venezuelan McDonald's franchises began offering a Big Mac meal for 69 bolivars or $10.90 in January 2014, though only making $1 at the black market rate. Since businesses made lower profits, this led to further shortages because they could not afford to pay to import or produce the goods that Venezuela relies on. With the short supply of foreign currencies and Venezuela's reliance on imports, debt is created.
Shortages in Venezuela | Currency and price controls
A month later, on 17 May 2018, the Colombian government seized 25,200 CLAP boxes containing about 400 tons of decomposing food, which was destined for distribution to the Venezuelan public. The Colombian government said they were investigating shell companies and money laundering related to CLAP operations, and claimed the shipment was to be used to buy votes during the 2018 Venezuelan presidential election.
Shortages in Venezuela | Local Supply and Production Committee (CLAP)
In an interview with President Maduro by "The Guardian", it was noted that a "significant proportion" of the subsidized basic goods in short supply were being smuggled into Colombia and sold for far higher prices. The Venezuelan government claimed that as much as 40% of the basic commodities it subsidizes for the domestic market were being disposed of in this manner. However, economists disagreed with the Venezuelan government's claim saying that only 10% of subsidized products are smuggled out of the country. Reuters noted that the creation of currency controls and subsidies were the main factors contributing to smuggling. Following President Maduro's move to grant the military control of Venezuela's food infrastructure, military personnel have sold contraband into Colombia.
Shortages in Venezuela | Smuggling
In a "Euronews" interview, Guaidó said that hospitals in Venezuela lacked basic supplies and that "children were dying due to malnutrition". He has made bringing humanitarian aid to the hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans who could die if aid does not arrive a priority, and a test of the military's allegiance. The day after assuming the acting presidency, Guaidó requested humanitarian aid for Venezuela from the US and from the United Nations. Guaidó said Venezuela's neighbors, in a "global coalition to send aid to Venezuela", will help get humanitarian aid and medicine into the country; products will be shipped to neighboring ports and brought overland via convoys.
Juan Guaidó | Humanitarian aid
In May 2014, months after the card was introduced, it was reported that 503,000 Venezuelans had registered for it. In August 2014, it was reported that the "Tarjeta de Abastecimiento Seguro" failed to move past the trial phase, and that another "biometric card" was going to be developed according to President Maduro. Soon after, in August 2014, President Maduro announced the creation of a new voluntary fingerprint scanning system that was allegedly aimed at combating food shortages and smuggling. The Venezuelan government announced that 17,000 troops would be deployed along its border with Colombia. They were to assist in closing down traffic each night to strengthen anti-smuggling efforts.
Shortages in Venezuela | Food
Human rights groups have strongly condemned the arrest of Leopoldo López. In the 2015 Venezuelan parliamentary election, the opposition gained a majority. Venezuela devalued its currency in February 2013 due to the rising shortages in the country, which included those of milk, flour, and other necessities. This led to an increase in malnutrition, especially among children. Venezuela's economy had become strongly dependent on the exportation of oil with crude accounting for 86% of exports, and a high price per barrel to support social programs. Beginning in 2014 the price of oil plummeted from over $100/bbl to $40/bbl a year and a half later, this placed great pressure on the Venezuelan economy, which was no longer able to afford vast social programs.
Venezuela | Nicolás Maduro: 2013–present
Economists state the Venezuelan government began rationing in 2014 for several reasons including an unproductive domestic industry that had been negatively affected by nationalization and government intervention, and confusing currency controls that made it unable to provide the dollars importers needed to pay for all of the basic products that enter Venezuela. According to Venezuelan residents, the government also rationed public water to those who used water over 108 hours a week because of the nation's poor water delivery systems. Gasoline was also rationed allegedly because subsidized Venezuelan gasoline was being smuggled to Colombia where it was sold for a higher price.
Shortages in Venezuela | Food
Most of these exports were destined to external debts payments; according to economist Ramón Key, the situation directly affects state finances, which does not have enough cash flow to recover the production, to meet its obligations and to invest in the industry maintenance. The decrease of oil production also causes the collapse of refineries: in 2018, of a capacity of 1.6 million daily barrels, the facilities only produced 20% of their capacity. Caracas' fuel supply is processed in the Paraguaná Refinery Complex, Falcón state, and later transported in boats to the Carenero distribution plant, Miranda state. Once stored, the fuel is sent through a poliducto to a distribution plant in Guatire, which is finally distributed to gas stations in Caracas.
Fuel shortages in Venezuela | Crisis in Venezuela
It has been described as being both like loyalty programs and a rationing card. In May 2014, months after the card was introduced, it was reported that 503,000 Venezuelans had registered for the card. In August 2014, it was reported that the "Tarjeta de Abastecimiento Seguro "failed to go past the trial phase and that another "biometric card" was going to be developed according to President Maduro. Soon thereafter, in August 2014, President Maduro announced the creation of a new voluntary fingerprint scanning system that was allegedly aimed at combating food shortages and smuggling. The Venezuelan government announced that 17,000 troops would be deployed along its border with Colombia, where they will assist in closing down traffic each night to strengthen anti-smuggling efforts.
Economic policy of the Nicolás Maduro administration | Rationing and anti-shortage measures
In 2016, President Nicolás Maduro initiated the Local Committees for Supply and Production (CLAP) programme to meet on-going food shortages. Much of the food provided by the programme was supplied by Colombian businessman Alex Saab. The United States Department of the Treasury, Colombian and Mexican law enforcement officials, Venezuelan investigative journalists and others had been reporting corruption related to the supply since 2017. Meanwhile, a political and constitutional crisis was unfolding in Venezuela, heightened during the presidential crisis of 2019 in which there were two rival claimants to the country's presidency, the incumbent Maduro of the PSUV party and the opposition leader Juan Guaidó.
Operación Alacrán | Background
The "Wall Street Journal" reported in March 2019 that poverty was double that of 2014. A study from Andrés Bello Catholic University indicated that at least 8 million Venezuelans did not have enough to eat. A UN report estimated in March 2019 that 94% of Venezuelans live in poverty, and that one quarter of Venezuelans need some form of humanitarian assistance.
Crisis in Venezuela during the Bolivarian Revolution | Poverty
We will defend our territory." Information Minister Jorge Rodríguez said free medical attention would be given to Colombians and Venezuelans at the event. He also said the government would distribute 20,000 boxes of subsidized food from the Local Committees for Supply and Production (CLAP)—a program from which, according to the Attorney General Luisa Ortega Díaz, Maduro personally profits—to the poor residents of Cúcuta. Estimates of attendance ranged from 1,000 to 2,500 people.
Venezuela Aid Live | Alternative concert
Venezuela is currently undergoing an extreme crisis due to the political and economic unrest in the country. As a result, many individuals flee to the United States looking for help and the opportunity to start a new and better life. The issue is that when they take refuge in the United States, they do not have the education to have access to the multiple job opportunities that the United States offers. Most of the individuals that come to this country arrive with absolutely nothing other than the clothes on their backs. With little to give, these immigrants have few skills to support themselves.
South American Initiative | Latin American Education Fund
Since the 1990s, food production in Venezuela has dropped continuously, with Hugo Chávez's Bolivarian government beginning to rely upon imported food using the country's then-large oil profits. In 2003, the government created CADIVI (now CENCOEX), a currency control board charged with handling foreign exchange procedures to control capital flight by placing currency limits on individuals. Such currency controls have been determined to be the cause of shortages according to many economists and other experts. However, the Venezuelan government blamed other entities such as the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and smugglers for shortages, and has stated that an "economic war" had been declared on Venezuela.
Shortages in Venezuela | Chávez administration
Economists say that such measures were due to multiple issues, including an unproductive domestic industry that has been negatively affected by nationalizations and government intervention, and confusing currency controls that made it unable to provide the dollars importers that need to pay for the majority of basic products that enter Venezuela. Gasoline is also rationed in Venezuela allegedly due to smuggling of the subsidized Venezuelan gasoline to Colombia where it is sold for a higher price. In February 2014, the government stated that it had confiscated more than 3,500 tons of contraband on the border with Colombia—food and fuel which, it said, was intended for "smuggling" or "speculation." The President of the National Assembly, Diosdado Cabello, said that the confiscated food should be given to the Venezuelan people, and should not be "in the hands of these gangsters." In March 2014, President Maduro introduced a new "biometric card" that requires the users fingerprint called "Tarjeta de Abastecimiento Seguro" for purchases in state-run supermarkets or participating businesses that is allegedly meant to combat smuggling and price speculation.
Economic policy of the Nicolás Maduro administration | Rationing and anti-shortage measures
In 2015, concerns about shortages and inflation overtook violent crime as Venezuelans' main worry for the first time in years according to pollster Datanalisis. According to the chief executive of Datanalisis, Luis Vicente Leon, since insecurity had plagued Venezuela for years, Venezuelans had become accustomed to crime and gave up hope for a solution to it. Vicente Leon said that Venezuelans had greater concerns over shortages and became preoccupied with the difficulties surrounding them instead. Eldar Shafir, author and American behavioral scientist, said that the psychological "obsession" with finding scarce goods in Venezuela is because the rarity of the item makes it "precious".
Shortages in Venezuela | Psychological
Douglas Natera, president of the Venezuelan Medical Federation, said, "Two months ago we asked the government to declare an emergency," but they received no response. Health Minister Isabel Iturria refused to give the AP an interview, while a deputy health minister, Nimeny Gutierrez, "denied on state TV that the system is in crisis." The Venezuelan Pharmaceutical Federation reported shortages of 70% of medicines at pharmacies throughout Venezuela in 2015.
Economic policy of the Nicolás Maduro administration | Health care
The Venezuelan opposition says its actions are based on the 1999 Constitution of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, specifically Articles 233, 333 and 350. The first paragraph of Article 233 states: "when the president-elect is absolutely absent before taking office, a new election shall take place (...) And while the president is elected and takes office, the interim president shall be the president of the National Assembly". Article 333 calls for citizens to restore and enforce the Constitution if it is not followed. Article 350 calls for citizens to "disown any regime, legislation or authority that violates democratic values, principles and guarantees or encroaches upon human rights”.
Venezuelan presidential crisis | Justification for the challenge
Multiple business leaders denounced the actions of the Venezuelan government, demanding respect for private property and to work with business instead of taking actions against them.
Dakazo | Effect on business and shortages
An early defender of the Venezuelan bolivarian experience (Venezuela was described by Errejón as "my adopted fatherland") Errejón got to the point of stating in November 2013 that the lines for food Venezuelans experienced for hours were "because they have more money to consume more" and that there was a "culture of queues" because Venezuelans supposedly enjoyed socialising. Errejón was a supporter of the figure of Hugo Chávez (whom he deemed a "source of political pedagogy"). He has later retracted from previous takings of Venezuela, stating in 2018 that the (current) "Venezuela is a disaster and it is obvious that I do not want that model for my country.
Íñigo Errejón | Ideology and stances
She reported that a million children are missing school as a consequence of the conditions in the country. She mentioned the 2019 Venezuelan blackouts as an example of the country's collapsing infrastructure, leading to food, water and medical shortages. She said security forces and pro-government armed groups had used excessive force to quell protests, including assassination, arbitrary detention, torture and threats. She indicated that the search for food, health care and employment had led to mass emigration from Venezuela. She urged authorities to urgently improve human rights conditions and to "demonstrate their real commitment to addressing the many challenging issues".
Human rights in Venezuela | First visit
In Ciudad, Guyana at the end of July, looting occurred in the city that resulted in one death and the arrest of dozens.
Shortages in Venezuela | Looting
More than 70% of Venezuela's food is imported; Venezuela became so dependent on food imports that it could no longer afford when the price of oil dropped in 2014. According to Al Jazeera, Chávez gave the military control of food, and nationalized much of the industry, which was then neglected, leading to production shortages. With a "diminished food supply", Maduro put "generals in charge of everything from butter to rice". With the military in charge of food, food trafficking became profitable, bribes and corruption common, and food did not reach the needy. The government imports most of the food the country needs, it is controlled by the military, and the price paid for food is higher than justified by market prices.
Crisis in Venezuela during the Bolivarian Revolution | Food and water
Even before the 2009-2010 drought, there was already a disparity between the increase in supply and demand for electricity in Venezuela; the latter had been increasing at a rate of 7% per year since 2005. This deficit has been criticized by the opposition, alleging that in previous years the Venezuelan government did not make the necessary investments to increase power generation capacity at the same rate as the increase in demand. On the other hand, the government has accused sectors of the population of "wasting" electricity, and has highlighted the fact that Venezuela is the country with the highest electricity consumption per capita in Latin America.
Energy crisis in Venezuela | Disparity in the increase in demand and electric supply
By the end of 2016, more than three-quarters of Venezuelans had lost weight because of their inadequate food intake, with about the same proportion of people saying they had lost from a lack of food in 2016 alone. In 2017, studies found that 64% of Venezuelans saw a reduction in weight, with 61% saying they go to sleep hungry, while the average Venezuelan lost .
Shortages in Venezuela | "The Maduro Diet"
Near the end of 2018—before the Venezuelan presidential crisis when Juan Guaidó swore an oath to serve as interim president—the Maduro government said aid from other countries would be coordinated through the UN. Reuters reported concerns that the UN funding would be lost to corruption in Maduro's government. After the 2019 presidential crisis, Maduro continued to refuse aid, saying that Venezuela was not a country of "beggars". Guaidó made bringing humanitarian aid to the hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans who could die if aid does not arrive a priority. Cúcuta has become the hub and focal point of the humanitarian aid crisis in Venezuela; in addition to being the site of the concert, it was the main border crossing point for thousands of Venezuelans fleeing their country in the Venezuela–Colombia migrant crisis, and the location where most of the aid was stockpiled.
Venezuela Aid Live | Background
Venezuelan producers also state that the lack of US dollars and strict price controls make it difficult to import the simple goods that are relied upon in Venezuela. Items became so scarce in late 2013 that nearly one quarter of products were not in stock. The chronic shortages included many necessities including foods; such as toilet paper, milk, and flour, as well as medical goods and automotive parts. Food shortages have led to looting and public vandalism on several occasions during Maduro's tenure. Fears grew high due to a toilet paper shortage that resulted in the Venezuelan government occupying a MANPA toilet paper factory to check operations for the alleged "possible diversion of distribution" and "illegal management".
Economic policy of the Nicolás Maduro administration | Food and products
This leads to businesses selling their goods and making a low profit, such as Venezuelan McDonald's franchises offering a Big Mac meal for only $1. Since businesses make low profits, this leads to shortages since they are unable import the goods that Venezuela is reliant on. Venezuela's largest food producing company, Empresas Polar, has stated that they may need to suspend some production for nearly the entire year of 2014 since they owe foreign suppliers $463 million. The last report of shortages in Venezuela showed that 22.4% of necessary goods are not in stock. This was the last report by the government since the central bank no longer posts the scarcity index.
Economic policy of the Hugo Chávez administration | Implied value and currency black market
There was an 80–90% shortage rate of milk (powdered and liquid), margarine, butter, sugar, beef, chicken, pasta, cheese, corn flour, wheat flour, oil, rice, coffee, toilet paper, diapers, laundry detergent, bar soap, bleach, dish, shampoo and soap in February 2015. In March 2016, it was estimated that 87% of Venezuelans were consuming less due to the shortages. There was a 50% to 80% rate of food shortages, and 80% of medicines were in short supply or unavailable. By December 2016, 78% of Venezuelans had lost weight due to lack of food. By February 2017, the Venezuela's Living Conditions Survey, managed by a multi-university organization in Venezuela, reported that about 75% of Venezuelans had lost weight in 2016.
Shortages in Venezuela | Statistics
Individuals have resorted to violent theft to acquire items that shortages have made difficult to obtain. Venezuelan motorcycle organizations have reported that their members have been murdered for their motorcycles due to the shortage of motorcycles and spare parts. There have also been reports of Venezuelan authorities being killed for their weapons, and trucks full of goods being attacked to steal desirable merchandise they are carrying. Shortages are so chronic that crime has decreased because of them; since there is less cash in banks, as of 2019 there have been fewer bank robberies. There are fewer cars circulating due to the high price of imported parts, and guns for criminals are increasingly expensive, meaning that robbers have to kill authorities in order to get a weapon.
Shortages in Venezuela | Crime
Yo prometo por mi honor, hacer cuanto de mí dependa, para cumplir con mi deber hacia Dios y mi patria, ser útil al prójimo en todo momento, y obedecer la Ley Guía.
Asociación de Guías Scouts de Venezuela | Guide Promise
In a country where it seems that the only thing that predominates is political affairs, the healthcare system is declining more and more. Every day, articles have been published in the press denouncing the poor state of the main public hospitals in Venezuela. Increasingly, the health crisis and the shortage of food and medicine are prevalent throughout the country. This project will go toward feeding vulnerable adults and children in different hospitals and providing them with essential medicines. Since the beginning of this project, the South American Initiative team has been on a mission to provide enough meals and clean drinking water to orphaned children and hospitalized adults to cover their needs for a healthy diet.
South American Initiative | Help Venezuelan Hospitals
The National Assembly declared a state of emergency as an answer to the nationwide blackout. The Lima Group held Maduro entirely responsible for the outage. Declaring that the Group stands in solidarity with "the Venezuelan people [who] have been suffering for years", the Group issued a statement saying the "situation only confirms the existence and magnitude of the humanitarian crisis that the Maduro regime refuses to recognize." The statement said, "Only a legitimate government that emerged from free and democratic elections can carry out the reconstruction of the institutions, infrastructure and economy of the country that Venezuelans need to recover their dignity, the exercise of civic freedoms and the respect of their human rights." China offered to help restore the electrical system.
2019 Venezuelan blackouts | Reactions
Venezuela has been classified as an "extreme hunger" hotspot by Oxfam. Heightened political turmoil and extreme food shortages have led to the largest refugee crisis in the Americas. Both those in Venezuela and those fleeing to neighbouring countries, such as Colombia and Ecuador, have been identified as at high risk of food insecurity. The United Nations has identified that at least one-third of the remaining population in Venezuela do not have enough food to sustain themselves. These shortages have been economically exacerbated by a fall in the price of oil as a result of the 2020 Russia–Saudi Arabia oil price war.
Famines related to the COVID-19 pandemic | Venezuela
In 2013, the president of the Venezuelan government's Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE) Elias Eljuri, referring to a national survey, suggested that all shortages in the country were due to Venezuelans' eating, saying that "95% of people eat three or more meals a day". Data provided by the Venezuelan government's statistical office instead showed that in 2013, food consumption by Venezuelans actually decreased. By March 2016, 87% of Venezuelans were reportedly consuming less due to the shortages they faced. As of 2016, the average Venezuelan living in extreme poverty lost nearly 19 pounds due to lack of food. In March 2017, a basket of basic grocery items cost four times the monthly minimum wage and by April, more than 11% of the children in the country suffered from malnutrition.
Shortages in Venezuela | Food consumption
and Europe. However government policies quickly spent down this returned gold and in 2013 the government was forced to add the dollar reserves of state owned companies to those of the national bank to reassure the international bond market.
Venezuela | Economy
By the end of 2019, support for Guaidó dropped, with protests organized by his movement resulting with low participation. Pollster Datanálisis published figures showing that support for Guaidó decreased from 61% in February to 42% in November 2019. According to Jesús Seguías, the head of the Venezuelan analysis firm Datincorp, "For years Washington and the Venezuelan opposition have said that Nicolás Maduro, and before him Hugo Chávez, were weak and about to fall ... but it’s clear that’s not the case". Analyst Carlos Pina stated "The military support to President Maduro remains intact ... the opposition will need to rethink its strategy" and that "Guaido has also been very limited in suggesting or proposing a strategy that could change the current [status quo]".
Venezuelan presidential crisis | Guaidó loses support and Operación Alacrán
Spiegel adds that, because of the infrastructure and trained personnel in Venezuela, aid can be distributed quickly once delivered to Venezuela.
Crisis in Venezuela during the Bolivarian Revolution | 2019 Human Rights Watch/Johns Hopkins report
Piñera said he was at the concert to demonstrate solidarity with the people of Venezuela, to help them recover democracy under the leadership of Guaidó, and to support the collection and distribution of humanitarian aid. He described the Maduro government as lacking in respect for human rights and undemocratic, and said that "Maduro is part of the problem, not the solution." Benítez expressed confidence that the people of Venezuela, for resisting tyranny, would go down in history, adding that a free Venezuela was close. Juanes, one of the performers, commented that "Music and art will always be fundamental in building peace in any society.
Venezuela Aid Live | Attendance
By 2018, more than 30 percent of Venezuelans were only eating one meal per day.
Shortages in Venezuela | Food consumption
Food production has also decreased by 60% between 2014 and 2018, the agricultural sectors has been weakened by both the Chavez and Maduro administrations, and food imports decreased by 70% between 2014 and 2016. Additionally, the general fracturing of the state led to reduced provision of health services and a deteriorating health sector. This low resource impoverished setting was the perfect breeding ground for the rise of diseases such as measles, diphtheria, tuberculosis, and malaria. Medicine imports decreased by 70% between the years 2012 and 2016, only 15 out of 56 pharmaceutical companies still function, and over 150 pharmacies have closed since 2016.
Venezuelan refugee crisis | Health and healthcare access
Then the businessman would have to use the extra money to pay military personnel to import such products. The businessman said he had been paying millions of dollars to military officials for years, and that the food minister, Gen. Rodolfo Marco Torres, once had to be paid $8 million just to import goods into Venezuela. Documents seen by the Associated Press showing prices for corn also revealed that the government budgeted $118 million in July 2016, an overpayment of $50 million over average market prices for that month. According to retired general Antonio Rivero, Maduro allowed the military to control their schemes, which made them less rebellious by giving them the resources to feed their families, among other benefits.
Shortages in Venezuela | Corruption
Under the Maduro government, housing shortages continued to worsen. Maduro announced in 2014 that due to the shortage of steel, abandoned cars and other vehicles would be acquired by the government and melted to provide rebar for housing. In April 2014, Maduro ruled by decree that Venezuelans who owned three or more rental properties would be forced by the government to sell their rental units at a set price or they would face fines or have their property possessed by the government. By 2016, residents of government-provided housing, who were usually supporters of the government, began protesting due to the lack of utilities and food.
Shortages in Venezuela | Housing
According to an article in "The New York Times", medical care has been withheld for political gain. Mission Barrio Adentro was a program established by Chávez to bring medical care to poor neighborhoods; it was staffed by Cubans that were sent to Venezuela in exchange for petroleum. "The New York Times" interviewed sixteen Cuban medical professionals in 2019 who had worked for "Barrio Adentro" prior to the 2018 Venezuelan presidential elections; all sixteen revealed that they were required to participate in voting fraud. They "described a system of deliberate political manipulation"; their services as medical professionals "were wielded to secure votes for the governing Socialist Party, often through coercion", they told "The New York Times".
Shortages in Venezuela | Medical care used for political gain