The country’s central bank released data for May that showed the biggest jump in inflation since January, with consumer prices rising 5.1 percent overall, along with much sharper increases in the healthcare and communications sectors specifically (Bloomberg)
Wife of Venezuelan President to Serve on New Electoral Commission
Having dissolved the previous National Electoral Council (CNE), President Nicolas Maduro’s rubber-stamp legislature will select members of the new committee, which is expected to be packed with Maduro loyalists; in a worrying sign for the fairness of the election, the opposition says his wife, Cilia Flores, will have the most power on the new CNE (Miami Herald)
Top Venezuelan Election Official Resigns
The head of the council that oversees elections, who is linked to Venezuela’s ruling party, said several of his colleagues offered to resign as well; Venezuela has been under pressure to carry out clean presidential elections in 2024 in exchange for potential sanctions relief (Bloomberg)
Meanwhile, President Nicolas Maduro says the country will try to capitalize on the demand for fuel, but reviving its output capacity will require millions of dollars of investment and improved management (Bloomberg)
Venezuela Reorganizes National Electoral Council
Some of the board members are set to resign, and lawmakers will appoint a committee to manage nominations for new members; broader negotiations on electoral reform have stalled (Bloomberg)
International Criminal Court Opens Venezuela Office
The ICC will investigate Venezuela for crimes against humanity and help implement judicial reforms, prosecutor Karim Khan said following a meeting with President Nicolas Maduro (Reuters)
Venezuelan Opposition to Hold Primary Vote on October 23
Since registration opened earlier this week, ten candidates have announced their bids; the opposition insists contesting is better than giving up, though they have received an unenthusiastic response from voters who were told to boycott elections for years (AP)
Venezuelan President Travels to Saudi Arabia
President Nicolás Maduro made a state visit to Saudi Arabia today to discuss “political, diplomatic, and energy alliances,” he tweeted; this was his first visit to the country since 2015 (Al-Monitor)
Brazilian President Welcomes Maduro in Brasilia
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, colloquially known as Lula, who previously had warm ties with President Nicolás Maduro and his predecessor Hugo Chávez, called the visit “the beginning of Maduro’s return,” while Maduro spoke of a “new era” in bilateral relations (BBC)
Both leaders criticized the United States for its sanctions on Venezuela and for not recognizing Maduro as its legitimate leader (Reuters)
Migrants Repatriated to Venezuela
One hundred fifteen migrants who were stranded on Chile’s border with Peru were repatriated to Venezuela on a humanitarian flight; Peru dispatched military and police to the border to halt the migrants, which led to diplomatic tensions between Chile and Peru (Reuters)
Venezuelan Opposition Party Names New Candidate
In place of Juan Guaido, the Venezuelan opposition party Voluntad Popular has nominated political coordinator Freddy Superlano, a forty-six-year-old engineer, as its new candidate for a presidential primary in October (Reuters)
Venezuela and China Renew Ties
High-ranking Chinese officials met with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to discuss the restructuring of Venezuela’s line of credit and potential new areas of cooperation, such as telecommunications and oil (Bloomberg)
United States Backs Sale of Oil Refiner
The U.S. Treasury Department is expected to authorize the sale of Venezuela’s stake in the state-owned oil refiner Citgo, according to documents submitted by a special master to oversee the potential court-supervised auction (WSJ)
Colombia Hosts International Conference on Venezuela’s Political Impasse
The Colombian government aims for the conference, which begins today, to advance deadlocked talks between Venezuela’s government and the opposition; envoys are also expected to discuss a potential deal to repatriate U.S. detainees in Venezuela, Newsweek reported (Newsweek)
Russian Foreign Minister Visits Venezuela
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Venezuelan counterpart Yván Gil met in Venezuela to discuss bilateral agreements, condemn economic sanctions imposed upon their respective countries, and reaffirm support for one another (AP)
Meanwhile, a senior administration official said President Biden and Colombian President Gustavo Petro would discuss Venezuela and other topics during their meeting this week (Reuters)
ICJ Says It Has Mandate in Guyana-Venezuela Border Dispute
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) decided it has jurisdiction to rule on a border dispute between the two countries; a ruling would determine the ownership of large offshore oil and gas reserves (Reuters)
Venezuela had called for the court to drop the case (AP)
Opposition Envoy Calls on United States to Relax Oil Sanctions
The new representative for Venezuela’s political opposition in the United States, Fernando Blasi, called on Washington to ease sanctions on the country’s oil sector, a sharp contrast to the hard-line stance of previous opposition leader Juan Guaidó (AP)
Metal Executives Arrested Amid Widening Anti-Corruption Probe
Authorities detained two senior officials at a state-owned metals company amid an anticorruption probe that has seen at least twenty-three people arrested in the past few weeks (Bloomberg)
Colombian President Holding Dialogue With Venezuela’s President and Opposition
Colombian President Gustavo Petro said he will convene an international conference to promote dialogue between Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and Venezuela’s opposition; prominent opposition figure Juan Guaidó said internationally mediated talks are already underway but that Maduro lacks the will for progress (Anadolu)
Venezuelan Oil Minister Resigns Amid Anticorruption Probe
Tareck El Aissami’s resignation comes days after police arrested multiple officials linked to state oil company Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A. (PDVSA); the rare anticorruption probe comes ahead of elections set to take place next year (FT)
Venezuela Sends Fuel to Cuba Despite U.S. Treasury Blacklist
According to maritime documents, Venezuela’s state-run oil company PDVSA loaded a supertanker with crude oil and fuel bound for Cuba; the supertanker Nolan was blacklisted in November by the U.S. Treasury Department for alleged involvement in an international oil smuggling network (Reuters)
Meanwhile, hundreds of primarily Venezuelan migrants broke through Mexican lines to demand asylum in the United States but were prevented from entering by U.S. officials (Reuters)
United States Refutes Claims of Prisoner Exchange Discussions
Officials stated that the United States is not actively negotiating a prisoner exchange with Venezuela, contradicting a video appeal by an American detained in Venezuela (Reuters)
Opposition Party Announces Presidential Candidate
The Venezuelan opposition party Popular Will announced that Juan Guaido would be its presidential primary candidate in October; Guaido became the interim president in early 2019 but was removed at the end of 2022 (Reuters)
Computer-Generated News Anchors Spread Pro-government Narratives in Venezuela
A London-based artificial intelligence company used the fake newscasters to spread positive English-language coverage of Venezuela’s government on social media, the Washington Post reported (WaPo)
Venezuelan Opposition Plans for Presidential Primary
Venezuela’s opposition said it plans to hold its first presidential primary since 2012 to select a candidate for the scheduled 2024 elections (Reuters)
Venezuelan Embassy Under U.S. Custody
After Juan Guaidó was ousted as temporary president, the State Department took custody of Venezuela’s embassy and official residences in Washington and New York; a State Department spokesperson said the property would remain under its stewardship until Venezuela has a new diplomatic mission (Bloomberg)