Latin America Rising > Good News and Bad News for Guyana as Elections Approach

 

Guyana faces elections amid oil boom, Maduro's threats

By Macarena Hermosilla

   

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has intensified his rhetoric over a long-standing territorial claim to the Essequibo, a region that makes up more than 60% of Guyana’s territory. File Photo by Miguel Gutierrez/EPA

Aug. 14 (UPI) -- With less than three weeks before Guyana's general elections Sept. 1, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has intensified his rhetoric over a long-standing territorial claim to the Essequibo, a region that makes up more than 60% of Guyana's territory and that Caracas claims as its own.

The region bordered by Venezuela on the west, Brazil on the southwest and the Atlantic Ocean on the north: It contains dense rainforests, highlands, savannas and low coastal plains.

In his weekly address Tuesday, Maduro said Venezuela "will recover the Essequibo sooner rather than later," a statement that heightens diplomatic tensions at a sensitive moment for the English-speaking nation, which is preparing to elect a new parliament and president amid an unprecedented oil boom and growing regional polarization.

"No matter what ExxonMobil, imperialism or the International Court of Justice do, the Essequibo is and will be Venezuela's," the Venezuelan president said, firmly rejecting any ruling from the Hague-based court.

While such remarks are not new in Venezuela's official rhetoric, they come as Guyana gains international prominence thanks to the rapid development of its oil industry in the offshore area adjacent to the Essequibo.

Major companies such as ExxonMobil, Hess and CNOOC operate there under concessions challenged by Caracas.

Guyana President Irfaan Ali, seeking re-election with the People's Progressive Party/Civic, has avoided direct confrontations with Venezuela, but has firmly defended Guyanese territory before the international community.

The country has brought the dispute before the international court since 2018 and has reiterated its willingness to accept the court's ruling as binding.

The case is moving forward in The Hague, with hearings held in April. Venezuela continues to reject the court's jurisdiction, while Guyana's government has received diplomatic backing from Caribbean nations, the Commonwealth, the United States and the Organization of American States.

"The sovereignty of the Essequibo is not at stake. Guyana is committed to the peaceful resolution of the conflict in accordance with international law," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said recently.

Analysts say the Venezuelan government may be using the territorial claim for electoral purposes as it faces international sanctions and the recent U.S. announcement of a $50 million reward for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of Maduro.

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi accused him of working with criminal organizations, calling him one of the world's most dangerous drug traffickers and a threat to U.S. national security.

By contrast, for Guyana, defending the Essequibo is a matter of national unity. In 2023, after a consultative referendum promoted by Maduro -- in which Venezuelans backed creating a state called "Guayana Esequiba" -- the Guyanese government strengthened its diplomatic strategy and stepped up its appeals at the United Nations.

Guyana's political climate remains tense but stable, with seven parties registering candidates for the elections. The vote will be monitored by missions from the European Union, the Caribbean Community, or Caricom, and the Carter Center, which already has personnel deployed across the country.

The Essequibo has not dominated the campaign debates, which are focused instead on economic development, equitable access to oil revenues and the fight against corruption.

Guyana is undergoing an unprecedented economic transformation, driven by a surge in oil production. In 2024, the economy grew 43.6%, with the oil sector expanding 57.7% and the non-oil sector 13.1%.

The International Monetary Fund projects average annual growth of 14% over the next five years, supported by stronger infrastructure and higher productivity, with non-oil GDP expected to grow about 6.75%.

On the oil front, Guyana has begun production from its fourth floating production, storage and offloading unit, boosting capacity to more than 900,000 barrels per day -- already surpassing Venezuela's current output -- with a goal of reaching between 1.3 million barrels by 2027 and up to 1.7 million by 2030.

Read More

• Border disputes persist in Latin America
• Latin America's 2025 growth forecast rises slightly
• Foreign investment in Latin America, Caribbean rises in 2024

Maduro 'Supporters' Storm Parliament Injuring Lawmakers

Venezuela lawmakers injured in protesters'

attack on parliament

By Doug G. Ware  

Venezuelan deputies Luis Stefanelli (L) and Jose Regnault (R) stand in a corridor of the National Assembly Wednesday after a clash with demonstrators in Caracas. A group of supporters of President Nicolas Maduro stormed the parliament on Venezuelan independence day. Photo by Miguel Gutierrez/EPA

UPI -- Several Venezuelan lawmakers were injured Wednesday when supporters of President Nicolas Maduro stormed the legislature on the country's national day of independence.

Demonstrators took their protest inside the opposition-controlled National Assembly in Caracas to air grievances that continue to divide the country.

Authorities said several lawmakers were injured in the skirmishes. Some reporters said they were also attacked.

National Assembly President Julio Borges said at least seven legislative staffers and five parliament members were injured.

The clashes occurred as the national lawmaking body is discussing a plebiscite set for July 16 regarding the future of Maduro as Venezuela's president -- an issue at the center of monthslong fighting in Caracas amid the nation's ongoing economic and political crisis.

Officials said the violent clashes Wednesday won't impact discussions about the upcoming plebiscite, which will seek public input about Maduro's future and his rewrite of the Venezuelan Constitution.

The storming of the assembly occurred on Venezuela's national day of independence, July 5, from Spain in 1811.

This was certainly not a spontaneous uprising by the people of Venezuela. This is clearly an attack on democracy by Maduro. He is trying to intimidate parliament into backing down on the plebiscite. 

GM's Venezuela Plant, Assets Seized by Authorities

In the middle of an economic melt-down, putting several hundred people out of work would seem to be the last thing this country needs

By Andrew V. Pestano 

General Motors Venezolana, C.A., or GMV, said its plant in the city of Valencia as well as its assets have been seized by authorities. The company called the act "improper, absurd, outside of legal logic and due process." Photo courtesy General Motors Venezolana, C.A.

UPI -- General Motors said it has ceased all operations in Venezuela after authorities unexpectedly seized its plant in the city of Valencia.

A court in the Zulia state said it imposed a broad embargo on the assets of General Motors Venezolana, C.A., or GMV, which has been in operation for nearly seven decades. GMV said authorities seized its plant Wednesday afternoon and that its associated bank accounts likely are also out of its control, meaning the company cannot make payments, such as employee wages.

GMV called the act "improper, absurd, outside of legal logic and due process."

"GMV is taking all legal measures within its reach in order to protect the rights of its workers and their property," the company said in a statement.

The company called on workers, suppliers, dealers and external operators to refrain from reporting to work at the plant or other jobs until the court ruling is reversed.

El Universal reported the seizure is likely related to a lawsuit against the company filed by a former landowner in Maracaibo.

Authoritarianism Takes Double-Punch in South America Set-back

Paraguay congress building set ablaze after contentious vote

By Daniel Uria

Protesters in Paraguay set fire to part of a congressional building after 25 senators voted to amend the constitution to allow President Horacio Cartes to seek re-election after his single five-year term. Photo by Andres Cristaldo/EPA

UPI/Reuters -- A congressional building in Paraguay was set ablaze during a protest after a secret senate vote to allow President Horacio Cartes to seek re-election.

Flames covered part of the congressional building as protesters vandalized offices and targeted police vehicles in the capital city of Asuncion on Friday night.

"I didn't expect to witness something like this," speaker of the lower house, Hugo Velázquez, said. "I am calling for harmony."

Firefighters arrived at the scene to extinguish the flames and riot police fired rubber bullets at the crowd. Some protesters were injured.

Paraguay signed a new constitution in 1992 which placed a system of checks and balances on the executive office and limited the president to a single five-year term, following the 35-year brutal dictatorship of Gen. Alfredo Stroessner.

"A coup has been carried out. We will resist and we invite the people to resist with us," said Senator Desiree Masi from the opposition Progressive Democratic Party.

The protests erupted after a group of 25 senators began holding "parallel sessions" to amend the constitution to allow Cartes to seek re-election following the end of his five-year term.

The unrest coincides with a rare high-level international event in the landlocked South American country. Thousands of businessmen and government officials descended on Asuncion this week for the Inter-American Development Bank's annual board of governors meeting.

While Paraguay long suffered from political uncertainty, the soy and beef-exporting nation has been attracting investment in agriculture and manufacturing sectors in recent years as Cartes offered tax breaks to foreign investors.

A senate meeting scheduled to be held on Saturday was canceled following the protests and the damage to the congressional building.

Venezuela reverses decision to remove

National Assembly's power

By Daniel Uria 

Venezuela's Supreme Tribunal of Justice announced it had reversed its decision to strip legislative power from the country's National Assembly on Saturday. EPA/MIGUEL GUTIERREZ

UPI -- Venezuela's Supreme Court announced it will return legislative power to the National Assembly on Saturday.

The Supreme Tribunal of Justice said it had removed certain parts of a judgment that took over the National Assembly's legislative power after government leaders urged it to review the decision and citizens staged daily protests.

The court issued a 20,000-word ruling on Wednesday stating the TSJ or an agency it chose would assume the National Assembly's duties.

On Friday, Venezuela's chief prosecutor, Luisa Ortega, expressed "great concern" about the measure, which she said violated the constitution.

Vice-President Tareck El Aissami also pleaded with the Supreme Court to examine the decision which was viewed by some as a "coup."

"We urge the supreme court to review the decisions... in order to maintain institutional stability and the balance of powers," El Aissami said.

President Nicolas Maduro promised dialogue to end the issue and appeared on national television Saturday to announce an agreement had been reached.

"We've reached an important agreement to solve this controversy," he said.

In other words he received enough credible threats as to be scared for his life! Maduro has to go and go quickly or Venezuela might never recover from the damage he is doing.

Venezuela Government 'Terrified' of Calling Election - Heading to Dictatorship

Venezuela is in a desperate with double digit inflation, food and

medicine shortages. The ruling party is so terrified of losing

power because of pervasive corruption and the fear of prosecution

Votes for governors, councils, other public offices on hold

as support for ruling party collapses

By John Otis, CBC News

The government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, seen here sitting in front of an image of late president Hugo Chavez, contends that elections are not a priority amid more pressing matters, such as food shortages and triple-digit inflation. (Miraflores Palace/Reuters)

The late Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez and his allies triumphed nearly every time voters went to the ballot box. But Chavez's successor, President Nicolas Maduro, appears to have lost interest in testing the will of the people. 

Amid a severe economic crisis, opinion polls show that support for Maduro and for ruling United Socialist Party (PSUV) politicians is collapsing. In response, electoral authorities — whom analysts claim take orders from the executive branch — have over the past year shelved or delayed elections large and small. 

'We are not going to have elections....

What we are going to have here is revolution,

and more revolution.'

- Diosdado Cabello

In October, the Maduro government abruptly cancelled a recall referendum that could have removed the president from office. Gubernatorial elections scheduled for December have been postponed. Even voting for the leadership of many labour unions, professional organizations, public university governments and neighbourhood councils has been suspended. 

For Chavismo, the leftist political movement founded by Chavez and which has ruled Venezuela for the past 18 years, "elections used to be sacred when they knew they could easily win them," said Eugenio Martínez, a Caracas journalist who specializes in electoral issues. "But as soon as elections became uncomfortable, they have tried to avoid them or to change the rules." 

Venezuelan officials contend that elections are simply not a priority right now because they are dealing with more pressing matters, such as food shortages and triple-digit inflation they describe as part of an "economic war" being waged against them by the opposition.  

In a January speech, Diosdado Cabello, a congressman and a key power broker within the ruling PSUV, bluntly stated: "We are not going to have elections.... What we are going to have here is revolution, and more revolution." 

Opposition supporters hold placards that read 'Elections now' during a rally against Maduro's government, in Caracas, on January 23, 2017. (Christian Veron/Reuters)

'There is a dictatorship'

Critics call these moves troubling signs for democracy in Venezuela and wonder whether the 2018 presidential election will be free and fair — or whether it will be held at all. 

Last week, Luis Almagro, who heads the Organization of American States, said that Venezuela must hold general elections immediately, and if it doesn't, member states — including Canada — should suspend Venezuela from the Washington-based regional body.

According to Almagro, phobia of elections is just the latest sign of Maduro's turn toward authoritarianism. His government holds more than 100 political prisoners and has cracked down on the media. It controls nearly all branches of power. Although the opposition holds a majority of seats in congress, the executive branch has neutered that body by using the judicial system to nullify new legislation.   

In a column published Tuesday in the Bogota, Colombia, newspaper El Tiempo, Almagro declared: "Today… there is a dictatorship" in Venezuela. 

The electoral impasse has left opposition leaders in limbo.

'The government is terrified of measuring its popularity

through a popular vote.'

- Jose Graterol

Jose Graterol, a lawyer who is trying to run for governor of western Falcon state, has spent the past year visiting towns and villages, shaking hands and giving speeches about his vision of the future. But now, he says, it's unclear whether there will even be a vote. Sitting governors have so far ruled an three extra months beyond their normal four-year terms, and electoral authorities have yet to set a date for new elections. 

"This shows that the government is terrified of measuring its popularity through a popular vote," Graterol said. 

The PSUV currently controls 20 of 23 state houses. But polls indicate that if elections were held now, the opposition could win about 16 governorships, marking a huge shift in power. In the last nationwide elections, held in December 2015, the government suffered a humiliating defeat, with opposition candidates winning 112 of 167 congressional seats. And since then, both the economy and support for the government have eroded further. 

"The government controls nearly all levers of power while the opposition has the support of the voters," said Phil Gunson, a Caracas analyst for the International Crisis Group. "That's why the opposition needs to have elections and why the government doesn't." 

December 2018 election uncertain

Besides delays, the Maduro government is trying to weed out the competition in case of future elections, said Martínez, the journalist. For example, the National Electoral Council declared that all political parties must gather thousands of member signatures in order to maintain their legal status, but each party gets just two days to carry out this process. 

When a centrist party called Avanzada Progresista recently tried to sign up members in Caracas, the electoral council changed the location of the registration sites at the last minute, creating chaos, said party activist Maribel Castillo. Avanzada Progresista maintained its legal status but several small opposition parties have already lost theirs. 

An opposition supporter holds a placard that reads 'Wanted for destroying a country. Reward: A free Venezuela,' with images depicting Maduro, left, and Diosdado Cabello, of Venezuela's United Socialist Party (PSUV), during a rally in Caracas, September 1, 2016. (Marco Bello/Reuters)

In recent elections, opposition parties fielded candidates through a coalition known as the Democratic Unity Roundtable. But now the Supreme Court is hearing a lawsuit brought by a ruling party politician alleging that the coalition committed fraud. A guilty verdict would effectively outlaw the opposition coalition.  

All of this manoeuvring has many Venezuelans wondering whether the government intends to comply with the constitution by holding presidential elections by December 2018. Gunson said that cancelling the vote would be a major step toward pariah status, as the Maduro government would be widely be considered a de facto regime propped up only by the military. 

However, Martínez said many high-ranking government officials have been accused of drug trafficking, human rights abuses and corruption, and they fear prison or extradition to the United States should the opposition win the presidency. 

He predicted: "If Chavismo doesn't think it has a way to win the elections, it will not hold elections." 

South American Socialist Hold-Outs Chile and Venezuela in Big Trouble, Especially Venezuela

Venezuela opposition accuse Maduro of 'coup'

after referendum quashed

© JUAN BARRETO, AFP | Supporters of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro force their way to the National Assembly during an extraoridinary session called by opposition leaders, in Caracas on October 23, 2016

by NEWS WIRES

Venezuela is bracing for turbulence after the socialist government blocked a presidential recall referendum in a move opposition leaders are calling a coup.

The opposition is urging supporters to take to the streets, beginning with a march on a major highway Saturday led by the wives of jailed activists, while a leading government figure is calling for the arrest of high-profile government critics.

Polls suggest socialist President Nicolas Maduro would lose a recall vote. But that became a moot issue on Thursday when elections officials issued an order suspending a recall signature drive a week before it was to start.

"What we saw yesterday was a coup," said former presidential candidate Henrique Capriles, who had been the leading champion of the recall effort. "We'll remain peaceful, but we will not be taken for fools. We must defend our country."

He had to say that they will remain peaceful or he would most likely have been arrested for treason and we would never hear from him again.

International condemnation was swift. Twelve western hemisphere nations, including the U.S. and even leftist-run governments such as Chile and Uruguay, said in a statement Friday that the suspension of the referendum and travel restrictions on the opposition leadership affects the prospect for dialogue and finding a peaceful solution to the nation's crisis.

In another sign of growing regional tensions, Colombia's flagship airline briefly grounded all flights to Caracas after a Venezuelan air force jet came close to an Avianca Boeing 787 with about 200 people aboard.

The commercial jet landed safely at its intended destination of Bogota 90 minutes later. The airline said Saturday that flights would be resumed Sunday following clarification from the two governments.

The socialists won power nearly two decades ago with the election of the popular former President Hugo Chavez, and for years enjoyed easy election victories. But with the economy in free fall, polls show most Venezuelans have turned against the party, and over the years, the administration has gradually become increasingly autocratic.

Critical television stations have been closed and several leading opposition activists have been imprisoned. The country's supreme court, packed with government supporters, has endorsed decree powers for Maduro and said he can ignore Congress following a landslide victory for the opposition in legislative elections.

The election commission, which has issued a string of pro-government rulings, halted the recall process on grounds of alleged irregularities in a first-round of signature gathering.

Polls suggest 80 percent of voters wanted Maduro gone this year, and the electoral council on Tuesday also ordered a delay of about six months in gubernatorial elections that were slated for year-end which the opposition was heavily favored to win. It gave no reason for the delay.

The opposition charges that the socialist party has simply decided to put off elections indefinitely in the face of overwhelming voter discontent.

The opposition coalition has called for a massive street protest Wednesday, on what would have been the start of the signature-gathering campaign.

Maduro was traveling outside the country, but in a televised address Friday he urged calm at home.

"I call on everyone to remain peaceful, to engage in dialogue, respect law and order and not to do anything crazy," he said.

Meanwhile, one of his most powerful allies, Diosdado Cabello, said top opposition leaders should be jailed for attempting election fraud. And opposition leaders said a local court blocked eight of their leaders from leaving the country.

Amid the rising tensions, former Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Zapatero, who for months has been attempting to mediate dialogue between the two sides, is in Caracas and expected to meet Saturday with representatives of the opposition and the government.

The opposition had centered its energy on rallying Venezuelans to sign petitions next week demanding a referendum on Maduro's removal. That would require collecting and validating 4 million signatures from 20 percent of the electorate within three days in each of the country's 24 states.

But the campaign had already become mostly symbolic because the election board ruled in September that no vote would take place this year.

That timing is crucial. A successful vote to oust Maduro this year would have triggered a presidential election and given the opposition a good shot at winning power. If Maduro is voted out in 2017, though, his vice president will finish the presidential term, leaving the socialists in charge.

The electoral council said Thursday the decision was based on rulings by courts in four states that found there was fraud in the initial stage of the petition drive, when the opposition collected signatures from 1 percent of electorate.

The council itself had validated those signatures in August and allowed the process to move forward. It gave no indication if or when the process would resume.

The move sparked a new round of international condemnation of the socialist government.

Republican Florida Sen. Marco Rubio called Friday for increased sanctions on Venezuela, the head of the Organization of American States promised concrete consequences for violating democratic norms, and U.S. State Department spokesman John Kirby said the elections board was being used to block voters' "right to determine the direction of their country."

(AP)

Chile's embattled Bachelet put to test in local polls

     
 
Chilean President Michelle Bachelet takes part in celebrations for the 206th anniversary of the country's independence, in Santiago on September 19, 2016  © AFP/File / by Paulina Abramovich 

SANTIAGO (AFP) - 

Chile's opposition is leading with a razor-thin margin in local elections that could deal a disappointment to embattled President Michelle Bachelet by returning conservatives to power.

Seen as a litmus test for her ruling center-left coalition one year before her term ends, with 95.79 percent of the vote counted, a conservative coalition Chile Vamos (Let's go Chile) was leading with 38.53 percent against 37.07 percent for the ruling New Majority coalition.

Opinion polls had given Bachelet's center-left coalition a razor-thin lead before polls opened.

"We've got to do things better. That's what the people are asking for," Bachelet said on Sunday after learning the results.

The local polls are the last vote before general elections in 2017 that will decide the Socialist leader's successor, at a time when the left in Chile -- as in much of Latin America -- is struggling.

In the elections, which serve as the unofficial opening of the 2017 campaign season, some 14 million voters are choosing 346 mayors, plus city councils.

The vote came as Bachelet, Chile's first woman president, has been sideswiped by a corruption scandal involving her son and is struggling to deliver on the reform agenda that got her elected by a landslide in 2013.

After testing political waters in the local polls, the country's parties will nominate presidential candidates and launch their campaigns.

The 65-year-old Bachelet -- serving for a second time as the South American country's president -- urged people to participate in the election, amid fears Sunday's polls would be marred by low turnout.

- Looking ahead to 2017 -

Bachelet is one of the last remaining leaders from a "pink tide" of left-wing governments that swept Latin America in the last decade.

She served a first term from 2006 to 2010, and -- constitutionally barred from immediate re-election -- returned in 2014.

But her popularity has plunged since accusations emerged last year that her son and his wife used political influence and inside information to make $5 million on a shady real estate deal.

A separate campaign-finance scandal involving some of the country's biggest firms and political parties has also been damaging.

Bachelet herself has not been implicated in either scandal, although they have hurt her image as a squeaky clean reformer.

Elected with 66 percent of the vote, her popularity now stands at just 23 percent.

The top name on the left currently being floated for a presidential run is Isabel Allende -- not to be confused with her distant relative of the same name who is a best-selling novelist.

She is a senator and the daughter of former president Salvador Allende, who was overthrown by late dictator Augusto Pinochet in a 1973 coup.

Journalist and independent Senator Alejandro Guillier also scores well in opinion polls, while former president Ricardo Lagos (2000-2006) has thrown his hat in the ring, too.

On the right, former president Sebastian Pinera (2010-2014) is tipped as the likely nominee, but has yet to declare his candidacy.

The local polls come amid an economic slowdown in Chile, hit hard -- like much of the region -- by the plunge in global commodity prices.

Chile, the world's top copper producer, will see economic growth of just 1.75 percent this year, before a pickup of 2.25 percent in 2017, the government forecasts.

by Paulina Abramovich