Friday, March 8, 2019
Statement on the meeting of the leaders of the DPRK and the USA in Hanoi
From February 28 to March 1, the 2 nd Summit (after Singapore) of the DPRK and US heads was held in Hanoi, during which talks were held between the Supreme Leader of the WPK, the state and the army, Comrade Kim Jong-un and the US President Donald J. Trump on denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. The American president tried to push through his veiled arrogant demand for the elimination in the DPRK of a plutonium enrichment plant in exchange for the lifting of only a limited number of suffocating sanctions against the DPRK, introduced earlier by the United States. Accepting the demands of President Trump would mean the complete disarmament of the DPRK and would endanger the very existence of the DPRK in the face of a hypocritical and cunning adversary. Naturally, negotiations with such inadequate demands from the United States could not end positively. Trump in vain flew a few hours from the United States to negotiate with the Korean leader. Only a mutual decision was made to continue negotiations on the DPRK nuclear program.
We welcome and fully support the position taken by the Supreme Leader of the state, the WPK and the army of the DPRK, Comrade Kim Jong-un in the negotiations in Hanoi. You can’t believe a word of a bloody predator in the face of the United States, which clearly demonstrated its perfidy and criminality of intentions during various negotiations in the past with leaders of different countries.
The position of Comrade Kim Jong-un is a continuation of the policy of the Great Leader Comrade Kim Il Sung and the Great Kim Jong-il in upholding the sovereignty and independence of Socialist Korea for the benefit of the brave Korean people and peace not only in northeast Asia, but throughout the world.
We wish the heroic Korean people, under the leadership of Comrade Kim Jong-un, further success in building and developing the Juche state of the DPRK.
N.A. Andreeva
General Secretary of the Central Committee of the AUCPB,
Leningrad
March 4, 2019,
Friday, March 1, 2019
Congratulations on the 101st anniversary of the creation of the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army!
Dear veterans of the Great Patriotic War, soldiers and officers who honestly and conscientiously served in the Soviet Army in the postwar years, standing guard over the Socialist Fatherland and all those who remained faithful to the great humanistic principles of the Soviet Army in protecting the working people! We congratulate ALL YOU on the 101st anniversary of the creation of the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army! We wish ALL of you good health, longevity, happiness in your personal life, the implementation of your plans!
The temporaries who have come to power are trying to do everything in order to erase from the people's memory the true class meaning of the date of February 23, the Day of the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army.
On February 23, 1918, when the troops of the young Red Army utterly defeated the German imperialists near Pskov and Narva, it was declared the Birthday of the Red Army.
The Red Army was created after the accomplishment of the Great October Socialist Revolution on a voluntary basis from the most conscious workers and the poorest peasants who are ready to give their strength and life to defend the Soviet Republic. The Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army became the armed force that was able to defend the gains of the Revolution, the gains of the working people from their class enemies.
In the Great Battles of the Patriotic War against the German invasion, the Red Army saved the peoples of the Soviet Union from fascist German slavery, defended the freedom and independence of our Motherland and helped the peoples of Europe throw off the German yoke. The Great Patriotic War was a class war not for the life, but to the death of two diametrically opposed socio-economic systems - socialism and capitalism. Thanks to the great feat of the Red Army, the plans of imperialism for the overthrow of socialism failed. The Soviet socialist social and state system emerged from the war even stronger and stronger.
After the bourgeois counter-revolution and the destruction of the USSR, the Armed Forces of the USSR were collapsed by the big capital who had taken power. It does not need a people's army, which is guarding the interests of the oppressed masses. It needs cannon fodder, which would protect its class interests and suppress the working people in the face of the confrontation of labor and capital. We call on all servicemen to prevent the circulation of weapons against their own people and during the accomplishment of the socialist revolution, which is inevitable, to go over to the side of the working masses in their struggle for the revival of socialism and our Soviet homeland - the USSR.
CC AUCPB
In the Rostov Region, the AUCPB celebrated the Day of the Red Army
The organizations of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks (AUCPB) in the Rostov region celebrated Red Army Day on February 23 by laying flowers at military monuments and monuments.
_
In the photo: the laying on of flowers by an ally of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks to the monument to S.M. Budyonny in Rostov-on-Don
Overview of the labor movement in the first half of February 2019
On Sakhalin, another protest against the transfer of the Kuril Islands to Japan
On February 7, a number of pickets were held in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk near the general consulate of the neighboring country. The protesters opposed Putin’s planned transfer of part of the Kuril Islands to Japan.
The reason for the protest event was the so-called "Day of the Northern Territories", which is celebrated by the ultra-right forces of this country.
Pickets at the Japanese consulate passed without incident.
------------------------------------------
All-Russian protest action against the "junk" reform
Rallies and pickets under the slogan “Russia is not a garbage dump” took place on February 3 in dozens of cities of the country. Workers, students, pensioners, representatives of the intelligentsia opposed the creation of landfills, landfills for household waste near settlements. They also demanded a review or cancellation of the reform, which implies an increase in tariffs for garbage collection.
The largest meetings were held in the Arkhangelsk region. About two thousand people took to the streets of the capital of the region. Activists' speeches were held in many other localities of the region - in Kotlas, Urdoma, Shenkursk and Severodvinsk. The mass scale of the events is connected with the previously announced plan to take out Moscow garbage to the landfill near the Shies railway station, located in the region.
Protests against the reform were also held in Moscow, Leningrad, Gorky, Tolyatti, Sochi, Kazan, Cheboksary, Kirov, Izhevsk, Novosibirsk, Omsk, Barnaul, Krasnoyarsk and other cities.
People were holding posters with the words: "No to Moscow dumping trash in the North!", "Throw garbage on the mansions of the bourgeois!", "Powers to the landfill!", "Raising tariffs - a disregard of the people!".
----------------------------------------------
Mass strike in the south of Russia
At the beginning of February in the Rostov, Voronezh, Tambov, Volgograd Regions, as well as in the Krasnodar Territory and in the Stavropol region, a protest was held by drivers of heavy vehicles specializing in the transportation of agricultural products. The strikers demanded a single fare. Such a measure would allow to exclude from the pricing speculators-intermediaries.
Shipping rates for the year decreased by almost half.
The strike is caused by a catastrophic fall in prices in the transportation market. Today, more than 70 percent of the money received goes to the purchase of fuel. Taking into account other costs (taxes, “Plato”, repair of motor vehicles, daily allowance), there is no income left.
The tax collection system “for the repair of roads” (“Plato”) was forced upon the authorities three years ago. Mr Putin actively promoted it and signed a law passed by his party United Russia in the State Duma. Profit from "Plato" is recieve by Putin's friend Rotenberg.
In the city of Timashevsk, Krasnodar Territory, on February 1, during the strike, drivers of heavy trucks gathered together and decided to form a trade union to resolve all problems related to the protection of their social rights.
--------------------------------------
Strike in Murmansk
On February 5, bus drivers did not take up their duties.
They are not satisfied with the increase in the rate of revenue. Previously, the owner required to give about 8.5 thousand rubles a day from one vehicle, and in February - 9-10 thousand. For this reason, the personal income of drivers has decreased, and in order to increase it, they will have to work harder, or travel with excess speed in order to intercept passengers from competing transport organizations.
--------------------------------
Abroad
Demonstrations in France
On February 5, demonstrations were held in the country, to which the General Confederation of Labor called. A total of about 300 thousand citizens took to the streets of Paris and other cities. More than 30 thousand took part in the protests in the capital, in Marseille, Lyon, and Strasbourg - 5 thousand demonstrators each. This action against the social policy of President Macron was joined by the Yellow Vests movement.
The protesters demaned higher wages, a fair distribution of income, and tax reform.
The demonstration in Paris resulted in clashes with police who used tear gas against activists.
Representatives of the General Confederation of Labor called for a strike every week, calling them "Tuesdays of a social emergency." The class struggle in France on that day again escalated to the limit.
-----------------------------------
Strike in New Caledonia
In early February, the strike continued in the mines of the metallurgical plant, located on the territory of the French colony, which is located in the Pacific Ocean, east of Australia. The strike in the city of Noumea, the capital of New Caledonia, was carried out by miners who advocated the abolition of the measures proposed as part of the restructuring of the company.
The capitalists planned to increase the working day to 10.5 hours and get the miners to work on Sunday. All this was the cause of the strike.
----------------------------------------------------
Strike in the north of Germany
In Hamburg, on the night of 3 to 4 February, the protest action of employees of the local airport began.
The goal of the strike was to increase the salaries of the workers of the airport, including the supprt staff, the specialists employed in servicing the aircraft, as well as the bus drivers. The union demanded an increase in earnings of 275 euros for each, regardless of the size of his salary.
-----------------------------------
Crowded protest in Spain
On February 3, in the center of Madrid, thousands of demonstrators marched in with a demand for higher pensions. Similar demonstrations in recent months in Spain have become frequent.
Protesters are unhappy with the increase in pension payments by only 0.25 percent, which took place as early as 2017, and require indexation in accordance with the level of inflation.
-----------------------------------
Friday, February 22, 2019
February 16, the DPRK celebrates the birthday of Kim Jong Il (born February 16, 1942.)
Comrade Kim Jong-il’s career advancement corresponded to his colossal political, military, and economic activities. There is not a single issue of domestic and foreign policy that Kim Jong Il would not deal with. Together with the development of heavy industry, great attention was paid to the development of light industry, which provided the population with essential household goods. The colossal construction of power stations by Komsomol members carried out Lenin electrification of the national economy, which ensured a powerful increase in labor productivity in enterprises. At the suggestion and under the direction of Kim Jong-il, the restructuring of agricultural areas was carried out, which made it possible to use mechanization in the processing of farmland and several times to increase the yields of the main agricultural crop of the DPRK - rice. They organized the creation of fish farms, which provided the population with an additional high-quality food product - fish. Under Kim Jong Il, the country was covered with gardening farms, thus the population was provided with its own fruits. Massive grandiose housing construction in cities and villages. Compulsory free 12-year education and health care. Even the remote villages of the country have become connected by beautiful asphalt roads. A lot of attention was paid to resolving the issue of the reunification of the Korean nation, which had been torn apart by the Americans in 1945.
With the grandeur of all of the above, perhaps the most important merit of Kim Jong Il is the development under his leadership of the Korean domestic intercontinental ballistic missile, the launch of artificial earth satellites. Thus, the DPRK became one of the world's nuclear powers. Whether or not the United States wants to admit this fact, but now the United States does not dare to command on the world stage in northeast Asia and threaten the DPRK with a preemptive nuclear strike.
We wish the wonderful socialist country of the DPRK new victories in overcoming the difficulties of building socialism on the path to creating a prosperous socialist power.
CC AUCPB
Perspectives for Venezuela
Without the use of force. Venezuela tunes into a long power struggle
Confronting the government and the opposition can take weeks or months
© EPA-EFE / Miguel Gutierrez
CARACAS, February 15th. / TASS /. The situation in Venezuela seemed to evolve rapidly when opposition leader Juan Guaydo announced on January 23 that he assumed the powers of the president of the country, and the United States immediately recognized him in that capacity. However, over the past three weeks, street fighting did not start in Caracas, as was the case in 2017, the Colombian army did not invade the country, American planes did not fly overhead. The Bolivarian Republic lives a normal life and sets itself up for a long struggle between the government and the opposition, which can last for weeks or even months.
Calm atmosphere
The two main political groups behave as if they do not notice the opponents. On February 10, President Nicolas Maduro opened the largest military exercises in the history of the country, spoke on February 11 at an event promoting tourism in Venezuela, and on February 12 on Youth Day he rewarded teenagers in Bolivar Square in the center of Caracas on achievements in school and sports, 50 meters from the stronghold opposition - the parliament building.
ON THIS TOPIC
Deputy Chairman of the ruling party of Venezuela: the fate of Latin America is decided for the next 100 years
The National Assembly, chaired by Juan Guaydo, whose appointment to this post was canceled by the Supreme Court, also continues its work. There are weekly meetings at which plans are approved for the organization of the transition period, managers are appointed to the state oil company PDVSA and its subsidiary in the United States Citgo Petroleum. Security is provided by the National Guard. Guaydo attends various social events in Caracas, where he calls to support the delivery of humanitarian aid to Venezuela.
Even major opposition rallies on February 2 and 12 were completely calm. The government, unlike the practice of previous years, this time is not trying to control the actions of the protesters with the help of the army or the National Guard. Thousands of crowds gathered in the morning on the Avenue of Francisco de Miranda, listened to the speech of Guaydo and went home for dinner. Break through the city center to government buildings and build tent cities, despite the warm weather in Caracas, where even at night the temperature does not fall below 15 degrees Celsius, no one tried.
A peaceful atmosphere reigns in Bolivar Square, where public government events are usually held. There continues the collection of signatures against possible American intervention in the affairs of Venezuela. Began with the mass media support from the speech of the president himself, he is now in a calm mode.
"Life in Caracas is an art"
Talking about normal life in Caracas, however, can only be conditional. Russians living in the city share tips: not to walk the streets in the evening (in some areas the evening is considered to be around 4:00 pm), not to dress brightly, not to use a telephone on the street. In the subway of Caracas, you rarely see people buried in a cell phone, and neighboring passengers can advise such a passenger to quickly hide the phone.
Periodically in the city limit the flow of electricity. Then the traffic lights, elevators stop working, the trains stop walking along some metro lines. On February 8, the lights were turned off at the Miraflores presidential residence right during the Maduro press conference for foreign media. Power supply was immediately restored from backup power sources.
Maduro vs. Guaydo. What happens in Venezuela?
Residents of the city are accustomed to such outages. "Life in Caracas is an art", - one of them shares his impressions.
It is difficult to get cash in the country - there are restrictions on withdrawing money at an ATM. The minimum wage is about ten dollars, although the exact figure depends on the rate at which the calculation is conducted. A kilogram of meat in a store may cost about three dollars in terms of bolivars. Exchanging dollars and euros for bolivars at the black market rate is offered a stone’s throw from Bolivar Square.
Distribution of food packages is organized at many enterprises. As the Deputy Chairman of the Venezuelan Unified Socialist Party, created by Hugo Chavez, said in an interview with TASS, the country's government sends about $ 120 million to social assistance every month.
However, in Venezuela, there are people who can afford to buy meat in stores. The eastern districts of the city are quite prosperous, there are cozy quiet streets, and the houses are fenced with two-meter walls. A completely different picture in the slum "barrios" in the west of the city, where small houses are molded on the slopes of the mountains.
Government supporters are convinced that the difficult economic situation is the result of US sanctions, while opposition supporters impose responsibility on the government, accusing it of corruption and ineffective management.
Waiting for a change
How this political crisis will be resolved, nobody seems to know. Government supporters say the crisis needs to be endured. Maduro is not going to give up power and call a presidential election, although, in his opinion, it is possible to hold elections to the National Assembly.
Through the mechanism of the Constitutional Assembly (established in 2017, the body to develop a new constitution), consultations with the people on the possibility of holding parliamentary elections have already been launched. Usually it’s just meeting people in the regions of Caracas and the province. Participants in such discussions are often recipients of social assistance from the state. The Venezuelan government does not name a timeline when consultations will end, although they promise that this will happen soon.
The opposition is also in no hurry. Parliament is working on the formation of a new National Electoral Commission. Its representatives are planning to hold presidential elections within a year after Maduro leaves the presidency. How to achieve this, they cannot say for sure, and they also intend to tolerate: to wait until the head of state leaves his post as a result of domestic and international pressure.
Hope for the world
Supporters of both the government and the opposition claim that they do not expect a force scenario. Maduro's opponents tried to resort to similar actions in 2017, but it all ended in futile clashes, deaths and arrests of protesters. Another tactic has been chosen: to try to convince the population of the country and the international community of the legitimacy of their actions.
War against Maduro. Why is an invasion of Venezuela unlikely
This calculation is partly justified. Some countries, including the United States, have already recognized Guaido as the current president, and on February 12, the opposition managed to hold a rally of thousands of people. The exact number of its participants is difficult to determine, but the eight-lane avenue of Francisco de Miranda 1.5 - 2 km was filled with people.
The dark horse in this situation is humanitarian aid, which is initiated by the opposition in the town of Cucuta on the territory of Colombia near the border with Venezuela. February 23, as announced by Guaydo, an attempt will be made to deliver this assistance to the country. If the army tries to interfere, it can lead to an armed clash that could explode the situation.
However, so far none of the tough scenarios that were talked about in Caracas in recent days has come true. On February 12, the opposition did not go to the Miraflores Palace, and the government forces did not attempt to occupy the building of the National Assembly. Opposition supporters themselves in private conversations recognize that Maduro is unlikely to aggravate, because this will give rise to interference from the United States or Colombia.
"Kaleidoscope" forces
The division of the political forces of Venezuela into government and opposition is to some extent arbitrary. Both sides do not represent a single force. In 2016, 11 parties and two independent deputies were elected to the Venezuelan parliament as part of the opposition "Block of Democratic Unity". By the number of mandates, the party of Juan Guaydo "Narodnaya Volya" is in third place (14 out of 167 mandates), behind the parties "Justice First" (33 places) and "New Time" (18 places).
The situation with the ideological definition of government opponents is difficult. Party "New time" and "Narodnaya Volya" adhere to the social-democratic ideas and are members of the Socialist International. The United Socialist Party, headed by Maduro, adheres to the ideas of socialism. In Venezuela, not right and left, but different views on socialism are fighting for power.
The lines of the political split in Venezuela are sometimes quite intricate. A member of the National Assembly of Delso Solorzano, ardently opposing Maduro, claims that her sister died four years ago because there were no necessary drugs in the country due to the economic crisis, and it was impossible to get them from abroad. Her father at the same time remained a supporter of Maduro. They have not spoken to each other for several years.
In search of a leader
Due to the fragmentation of the opposition in its ranks there is no unity regarding the leader. Popular on social networks in Venezuela, opposition activist Eric del Buffalo explains that government opponents recognize Juan Guaydo because he was able to re-launch the protest movement after a lull in 2018, but his fate will depend on the development of events. Many do not see Guaydo as a candidate for the presidential elections planned by the opposition, suggesting that his political “father” and leader of the “Narodnaya Volya” Leopoldo Lopez, who is now under house arrest, will appear in this capacity.
The opposition in Venezuela clusters around Guaydo, but retains different views on the situation.
Other possible candidates include former Miranda Governor Enrique Capriles Radonsky, representing the Justice First Party (Miranda State is the second most populous region in development in Venezuela), and former Chavist Henri Falcon, who lost Maduro in last year’s election.
The transition of the Chavista to the opposition is not unusual for Venezuela. Sometimes even former ministers of Chávez criticize the president, and in private conversations - employees of the current authorities. Supporters of Chavism speak about possible candidates, who believe that Maduro could not adequately continue the work of his predecessor as president.
The names of the current governor of the state of Miranda, Hector Rodriguez, and the chairman of the Constitutional Assembly Diosdado Cabello are most often mentioned. Hector Rodriguez is supported by supporters of the liberalization of Chavism, Cabello - those who support the strengthening of the socialist direction. Representatives of both groups are united by ideas about the need to restore order in management and the fight against corruption.
Prepared by S.V.Khristenko February 16, 2019
Confronting the government and the opposition can take weeks or months
CARACAS, February 15th. / TASS /. The situation in Venezuela seemed to evolve rapidly when opposition leader Juan Guaydo announced on January 23 that he assumed the powers of the president of the country, and the United States immediately recognized him in that capacity. However, over the past three weeks, street fighting did not start in Caracas, as was the case in 2017, the Colombian army did not invade the country, American planes did not fly overhead. The Bolivarian Republic lives a normal life and sets itself up for a long struggle between the government and the opposition, which can last for weeks or even months.
Calm atmosphere
The two main political groups behave as if they do not notice the opponents. On February 10, President Nicolas Maduro opened the largest military exercises in the history of the country, spoke on February 11 at an event promoting tourism in Venezuela, and on February 12 on Youth Day he rewarded teenagers in Bolivar Square in the center of Caracas on achievements in school and sports, 50 meters from the stronghold opposition - the parliament building.
ON THIS TOPIC
Deputy Chairman of the ruling party of Venezuela: the fate of Latin America is decided for the next 100 years
The National Assembly, chaired by Juan Guaydo, whose appointment to this post was canceled by the Supreme Court, also continues its work. There are weekly meetings at which plans are approved for the organization of the transition period, managers are appointed to the state oil company PDVSA and its subsidiary in the United States Citgo Petroleum. Security is provided by the National Guard. Guaydo attends various social events in Caracas, where he calls to support the delivery of humanitarian aid to Venezuela.
Even major opposition rallies on February 2 and 12 were completely calm. The government, unlike the practice of previous years, this time is not trying to control the actions of the protesters with the help of the army or the National Guard. Thousands of crowds gathered in the morning on the Avenue of Francisco de Miranda, listened to the speech of Guaydo and went home for dinner. Break through the city center to government buildings and build tent cities, despite the warm weather in Caracas, where even at night the temperature does not fall below 15 degrees Celsius, no one tried.
A peaceful atmosphere reigns in Bolivar Square, where public government events are usually held. There continues the collection of signatures against possible American intervention in the affairs of Venezuela. Began with the mass media support from the speech of the president himself, he is now in a calm mode.
"Life in Caracas is an art"
Talking about normal life in Caracas, however, can only be conditional. Russians living in the city share tips: not to walk the streets in the evening (in some areas the evening is considered to be around 4:00 pm), not to dress brightly, not to use a telephone on the street. In the subway of Caracas, you rarely see people buried in a cell phone, and neighboring passengers can advise such a passenger to quickly hide the phone.
Periodically in the city limit the flow of electricity. Then the traffic lights, elevators stop working, the trains stop walking along some metro lines. On February 8, the lights were turned off at the Miraflores presidential residence right during the Maduro press conference for foreign media. Power supply was immediately restored from backup power sources.
Maduro vs. Guaydo. What happens in Venezuela?
Residents of the city are accustomed to such outages. "Life in Caracas is an art", - one of them shares his impressions.
It is difficult to get cash in the country - there are restrictions on withdrawing money at an ATM. The minimum wage is about ten dollars, although the exact figure depends on the rate at which the calculation is conducted. A kilogram of meat in a store may cost about three dollars in terms of bolivars. Exchanging dollars and euros for bolivars at the black market rate is offered a stone’s throw from Bolivar Square.
Distribution of food packages is organized at many enterprises. As the Deputy Chairman of the Venezuelan Unified Socialist Party, created by Hugo Chavez, said in an interview with TASS, the country's government sends about $ 120 million to social assistance every month.
However, in Venezuela, there are people who can afford to buy meat in stores. The eastern districts of the city are quite prosperous, there are cozy quiet streets, and the houses are fenced with two-meter walls. A completely different picture in the slum "barrios" in the west of the city, where small houses are molded on the slopes of the mountains.
Government supporters are convinced that the difficult economic situation is the result of US sanctions, while opposition supporters impose responsibility on the government, accusing it of corruption and ineffective management.
Waiting for a change
How this political crisis will be resolved, nobody seems to know. Government supporters say the crisis needs to be endured. Maduro is not going to give up power and call a presidential election, although, in his opinion, it is possible to hold elections to the National Assembly.
Through the mechanism of the Constitutional Assembly (established in 2017, the body to develop a new constitution), consultations with the people on the possibility of holding parliamentary elections have already been launched. Usually it’s just meeting people in the regions of Caracas and the province. Participants in such discussions are often recipients of social assistance from the state. The Venezuelan government does not name a timeline when consultations will end, although they promise that this will happen soon.
The opposition is also in no hurry. Parliament is working on the formation of a new National Electoral Commission. Its representatives are planning to hold presidential elections within a year after Maduro leaves the presidency. How to achieve this, they cannot say for sure, and they also intend to tolerate: to wait until the head of state leaves his post as a result of domestic and international pressure.
Hope for the world
Supporters of both the government and the opposition claim that they do not expect a force scenario. Maduro's opponents tried to resort to similar actions in 2017, but it all ended in futile clashes, deaths and arrests of protesters. Another tactic has been chosen: to try to convince the population of the country and the international community of the legitimacy of their actions.
War against Maduro. Why is an invasion of Venezuela unlikely
This calculation is partly justified. Some countries, including the United States, have already recognized Guaido as the current president, and on February 12, the opposition managed to hold a rally of thousands of people. The exact number of its participants is difficult to determine, but the eight-lane avenue of Francisco de Miranda 1.5 - 2 km was filled with people.
The dark horse in this situation is humanitarian aid, which is initiated by the opposition in the town of Cucuta on the territory of Colombia near the border with Venezuela. February 23, as announced by Guaydo, an attempt will be made to deliver this assistance to the country. If the army tries to interfere, it can lead to an armed clash that could explode the situation.
However, so far none of the tough scenarios that were talked about in Caracas in recent days has come true. On February 12, the opposition did not go to the Miraflores Palace, and the government forces did not attempt to occupy the building of the National Assembly. Opposition supporters themselves in private conversations recognize that Maduro is unlikely to aggravate, because this will give rise to interference from the United States or Colombia.
"Kaleidoscope" forces
The division of the political forces of Venezuela into government and opposition is to some extent arbitrary. Both sides do not represent a single force. In 2016, 11 parties and two independent deputies were elected to the Venezuelan parliament as part of the opposition "Block of Democratic Unity". By the number of mandates, the party of Juan Guaydo "Narodnaya Volya" is in third place (14 out of 167 mandates), behind the parties "Justice First" (33 places) and "New Time" (18 places).
The situation with the ideological definition of government opponents is difficult. Party "New time" and "Narodnaya Volya" adhere to the social-democratic ideas and are members of the Socialist International. The United Socialist Party, headed by Maduro, adheres to the ideas of socialism. In Venezuela, not right and left, but different views on socialism are fighting for power.
The lines of the political split in Venezuela are sometimes quite intricate. A member of the National Assembly of Delso Solorzano, ardently opposing Maduro, claims that her sister died four years ago because there were no necessary drugs in the country due to the economic crisis, and it was impossible to get them from abroad. Her father at the same time remained a supporter of Maduro. They have not spoken to each other for several years.
In search of a leader
Due to the fragmentation of the opposition in its ranks there is no unity regarding the leader. Popular on social networks in Venezuela, opposition activist Eric del Buffalo explains that government opponents recognize Juan Guaydo because he was able to re-launch the protest movement after a lull in 2018, but his fate will depend on the development of events. Many do not see Guaydo as a candidate for the presidential elections planned by the opposition, suggesting that his political “father” and leader of the “Narodnaya Volya” Leopoldo Lopez, who is now under house arrest, will appear in this capacity.
The opposition in Venezuela clusters around Guaydo, but retains different views on the situation.
Other possible candidates include former Miranda Governor Enrique Capriles Radonsky, representing the Justice First Party (Miranda State is the second most populous region in development in Venezuela), and former Chavist Henri Falcon, who lost Maduro in last year’s election.
The transition of the Chavista to the opposition is not unusual for Venezuela. Sometimes even former ministers of Chávez criticize the president, and in private conversations - employees of the current authorities. Supporters of Chavism speak about possible candidates, who believe that Maduro could not adequately continue the work of his predecessor as president.
The names of the current governor of the state of Miranda, Hector Rodriguez, and the chairman of the Constitutional Assembly Diosdado Cabello are most often mentioned. Hector Rodriguez is supported by supporters of the liberalization of Chavism, Cabello - those who support the strengthening of the socialist direction. Representatives of both groups are united by ideas about the need to restore order in management and the fight against corruption.
Prepared by S.V.Khristenko February 16, 2019
Saturday, February 16, 2019
OPEN LETTER TO THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES
If I know anything, it’s about people, because just like you, I am a man of the people. I was
born and raised in a poor neighborhood in Caracas. I was forged in the heat of social and
union struggles in a Venezuela subjected to exclusion and inequality. I’m not a tycoon; I am a
worker who relies on reason and heart, and today I have the great privilege of leading the
new Venezuela rooted in a model of inclusive development and social equality built by
President Hugo Chávez since 1998 and inspired by the Bolivarian legacy.
We are living in historic times. These are days that will define the future of our countries
between war and peace. Those who represent you in Washington want to bring to our borders
the same hate they sowed in Vietnam. They want to invade and intervene Venezuela – as they
said then and are saying now – in the name of democracy and freedom. The story of a
usurpation of power in Venezuela is as false as that of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. It
is a sham that could have dramatic consequences for the entire region.
Venezuela is a country that through its Constitution of 1999 has widely expanded participatory
and protagonist democracy of the people, and which in an unprecedented manner is today
one of the countries with the most electoral processes in the past 20 years. You may not like
our ideology or appearance, but we exist and we are millions.
I say this to the people of the United States of America to warn them of the serious and
dangerous intent that factions in the White House have for invading Venezuela, which would
have unforeseeable consequences for my nation and for all of the Americas. President Donald
Trump also intends to disrupt the noble initiatives for dialogue spurred by Uruguay and
Mexico, with the support of CARICOM, for a peaceful and dialogued solution that benefits
Venezuela. We know that for the good of Venezuela we have to sit down and talk; refusing
dialogue is to choose the path of force. Let us keep un mind the words of John F. Kennedy:
“Let us never negotiate out of fear. But let us never fear to negotiate.” Are those who do not
want dialogue afraid of the truth?
Political intolerance toward the Venezuelan Bolivarian model and the hunger for immense oil
and mineral resources, as well as other great riches, has pushed an international coalition led
by the U.S. government towards committing the major folly of attacking Venezuela militarily
under the false of excuse of a non-existent humanitarian crisis.
The people of Venezuela have suffered and felt pain at the social wounds caused by a
criminal trade and financial blockade, which has been aggravated by the plundering and theft
of our financial resources and assets in countries aligned with this demented onslaught.
Nevertheless, thanks to our innovative system of social welfare, we proudly continue to be a
country with high human development index and the lowest inequality in the Americas.
The people of the United States should know that this complex, multi-form aggression is being
carried out with total impunity and in flagrant violation of the United Nations Charter, which
expressly forbids the threat or use of force, among other principles and resolutions in the
pursuit of peace and relations of friendship amongst nations.
We want to continue to be trading partners with the people of the United States, as we have
been throughout our history. Your politicians in Washington, however, are willing to send your
sons and daughters to die in an absurd war, rather than respecting the sacred right of the
Venezuelan people to self-determination and the safeguarding of their sovereignty.
As you, the people of the United States, we Venezuelans are patriots. And we will defend
what is ours with every part of our soul. Today, Venezuela is united with one single outcry: we
demand an end to the aggression that seeks to suffocate our economy and social strangle our
people, as well as an end to the grave and dangerous threats of military intervention against
Venezuela. We appeal to the good souls of U.S. society, which is also a victim of its rulers, so
you can join our call for peace. Let us be a single people against warmongering and war.
Long live the peoples of the Americas!
Nicolás Maduro
President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela
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