The electoral campaign ahead of Sunday’s municipal election officially came to a close today. The ruling PSUV party held events throughout the country in the hopes of rallying support for Sunday’s vote, in which the leadership of each of the country’s 335 municipalities will be chosen.
Speaking at one of the events, PSUV vice president Diosado Cabello called on all party supporters to prepare themselves for a “battle” on Sunday, and predicted that the day would go on to signify “a beautiful dawn” for the party. Cabello also recalled the memory of Hugo Chavez during his speech, saying:
It is up to us to keep Commander Hugo Chavez’s dream alive. We are moving forward little by little, but it’s necessary that we advance together in organic unity.
According to Constitutional term limits, the municipal elections should have happened last year alongside the gubernatorial vote. However, the regime-controlled Consejo Nacional Electoral suspended the elections in August of last year without explanation. The process was eventually split, with the gubernatorial elections taking place on October 15 and the municipal elections moved to December 10.
Cameras Capture Awkward Moment at Caracas Rally
At one point during the PSUV rally in Caracas, a woman climbed onto the stage to speak to some of the government officials there. Upon climbing on stage, the woman hugged Minister of Education Elias Jaua before explaining to him that the government had given her a home that was “incomplete”, and that she was now living on the street along with eleven other families, presumably from her same subsidized housing complex. The woman also said that “thugs” had put them on the street, although it is not clear what she meant by the comment.
. Once it became clear that the woman had climbed on stage to complain, mayoral hopeful Erika Farias asked her to get off.
Below, the moment as it appeared on television along with my translation:
Woman: … the Minister of Education. I don’t have a kitchen. I don’t have anything. You gave me a home that was not finished [unintelligible] in Calabozo. I’m on the street. There are 11 families on the street.
Erika Farias: Come with me. Come with me.
Woman: The thugs left us out on the street!
Inflation Rate Hits Four Digits Heading Into December
The National Assembly announced today that the country’s January-November inflation rate was 1,369%, far surpassing the four-digit mark with one month left to go in the year. The figure makes Venezuela the country with the highest inflation on the planet.
Speaking to reporters about the news earlier today, National Assembly deputy Angel Alvarado said that the country needs an “economic stabilization plan” in the form of immediate, drastic and concrete measures aimed at rectifying the situation.
Alvarado warned that unless a serious effort is made to salvage what is left of the Venezuelan economy the country would most likely descend further into a hyperinflationary spiral, something that he believes would force ordinary Venezuelans to look to other currency–like the US dollar–in order to purchase and pay for goods. Such a scenario, Alvarado argues, would effectively spell “the death of the Bolivar”.
Brazilian State Declares “Social Emergency” Over Influx of Venezuelan Migrants
The Brazilian state of Roraima on the country’s northern border with Venezuela has declared a state of “social emergency” in response to the overwhelming number of Venezuelan migrants pouring through the border.
The governor of Roraima state, Suely Campos, signed the decree into effect on Monday, citing the fact that the Venezuelan migrants “lack any means of sustenance” upon their arrival in Brazil. The decree blames the “socio-economic crisis in Venezuela” as the reason why the state has received approximately 30,000 migrants over the last two years. The state received 12,193 migrants between January and September of this year alone.
The declaration of emergency will allow the state to unlock resources needed to respond to the crisis, in particular in terms of health and security.
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