National Assembly vice president Stalin Gonzalez spoke today on the talks between the opposition and the Maduro regime, and suggested that the latter might eventually return to the dialogue table after abruptly walking away in early August. The talks had been underway since at least May under the auspices of the Norwegian government.
Gonzalez, the opposition’s point-man in the negotiations, provided some new details today on the end of the talks. He said that regime negotiators walked away from the talks because they “did not want to talk details”:
We left a proposal on the table. The regime [negotiators] were the ones who left abruptly because they did not want to talk details, [or] substantive, important matters for the country like free elections.
Gonzalez also said that the Norwegian government is still in constant contact with negotiators from both sides.
Peru Looks to Restrict Venezuelan Migration Even More
The government of Peru has announced that it will implement measures at an undisclosed time in the future to further curb the entry of Venezuelans into the country.
The news came from Nestor Popolizio, the Peruvian Minister of Foreign Affairs. He said:
We’re engaging in direct coordination not only with the migration [authority] but also with the Ministry of the Interior and the police in order to implement better safeguards along our entire border to prevent illegal crossings.
Back in June of this year, Peru began to require that Venezuelans entering the country have a valid visa do to so. The measure appears to have brought Venezuelan migration to the country “by more than 90%” of what it was before the measure took effect.
NGO: Venezuelan Family Need $300+ Per Month to Live
Centro de Documentación y Análisis Social de la Federación Venezolana de Maestros (Centre for Documentation and Social Analysis at the Venezuelan Teacher’s Association, CENDAS) released data today showing that the average Venezuelan family needs at least $300 a month to buy the food that it needs to survive. The data came from CENDAS director Oscar Meza.
Currently, a Venezuelan working earning the minimum monthly salary takes home approximately $2 with each paycheque.
Meza said that years of astronomical inflation rates threaten to make the Bolivar “extinct” as more and more Venezuelans turn to the US dollar for its stability and purchasing power. He said:
What we’re seeing is practically the Bolivar going extinct as our national currency. You can even see how people throw out the low-denomination bills (…) [The Bolivar doesn’t work] as a method of payment because as you know it’s very difficult for people to find cash.
Meza also explained that Venezuelans do not save in Bolivares given the country’s high inflation rate, and pointed out that many services–from auto repair to healthcare–are routinely paid in US dollars in Venezuela.
On his personal opinion regarding the country’s economic situation, Meza said:
There’s no hope that this will get better unless there’s political change. All we can do is look to our families [and] create links with unions and syndicates to cover the most fundamental, the most basic necessities.
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