Venezuela’s political crisis

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Following months of protests in Venezuela, the situation dramatically escalated on June 28th, when dissident members of the government attacked two state institutions. More precisely, a helicopter, piloted by a former police intelligence officer, opened fire with small arms on the office of the Interior Ministry, and then flew to the Supreme Court where it dropped grenades. The helicopter pilot has been identified as Oscar Perez, who is a former captain in Venezuela's intelligence and investigative body. Although no injuries were reported and the attack was not part of a coordinated coup, the incident does highlight the disintegration of the government. So, to shed light on this matter, in this report, we will go over the political turmoil in Venezuela. My name is Shirvan, and welcome to CaspianReport. Decades of overspending and currency manipulation has dramatically damaged Venezuela's economy. The last three years have been particularly desperate. In 2016, inflation reached 800%, while the overall economy shrank by 18%.

At the same time, crime rates increased throughout the country. In 2016 alone, more than 28,000 homicides were reported. At the backdrop of the economic and social depression, large scale anti-government protests consistently erupted in the streets of the capital. Meanwhile, to deal with the turmoil, the government responded with excessive force. Since April 2017, more than 80 people lost their lives during the clashes with law enforcement agencies.

As social unrest and hyperinflation endured, President Maduro's approval ratings plummeted below 20%.

It is apparent that Maduro is unlikely to secure the presidency in the 2018 elections. For the president, losing the upcoming elections greatly increases the likelihood of imprisonment on human rights violations or extraction to the United States on criminal charges. Thus, in May 2017, to maintain control over the situation, Maduro and his inner circle, which includes politician Cabello and vice president El Saimi, called for a constitutional assembly to redesign the constitution. The idea was to rewrite the electoral law and thereby delay the next presidential elections.

However, the proposal was ill-received by many members of the ruling party. As such, dissident members of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela formed a new faction, which was led by the chief prosecutor Ortega, and to a smaller extent by the former chief of intelligence service, Rodriguez. So, in addition to the economic depression, large-scale protests, and international sanctions, members of the ruling political party turned against one another. In early June 2017, Ortega filed a motion at the Supreme Court, and denounced Maduro's electoral reforms as unconstitutional. Ortega and Rodriguez had already previously opposed Maduro's legal and civil proposals. For instance, in March 2017, the chief prosecutor blocked the president's attempt to dissolve the National Assembly. In another example, Ortega prevented Maduro from using the military courts for the legal proceedings of civilian protesters. However, Ortega's recent legal motion was a turning point, as she was joined by district attorneys, military officers, law enforcement officials, and former cabinet ministers. It became apparent that the loyalties of I'm Hannah.