– The people’s support has been decisive, claims Maduro supporter Eric Acosta. news meets him in San Cristóbal in western Venezuela. There he sits on the city council for the Socialist Party. – We have stood by our president through many years of harsh economic sanctions. That is why we have won the battle against our great enemy, the US empire, he says. Eric Acosta believes that Maduro has done a good job as president. Photo: Arnt Stefansen / news Eric Acosta participates with a thousand party members in a large ceremony in the center of San Cristóbal. Venezuela marks the tenth anniversary of the death of party founder Hugo Chávez. It was also the start of Nicolas Maduro’s rise to power. – Thanks to President Maduro, things are now much better here in Venezuela, says Acosta. It is a point of view most Venezuelans disagree with. Economic disaster Under the Maduro regime, Venezuela’s economy has collapsed. Inflation has exploded. There has been an acute shortage of food and medicine for long periods. It has caused close to seven million to leave their homeland. The largest group has settled in neighboring Colombia. Jose Manuel Piralda cannot live on what he earns in Venezuela, and has fled to Colombia. Photo: Arnt Stefansen / news Right next to the most famous border crossing, the Simon Bolivar Bridge, there is a refugee reception. It is run by the aid organization Caritas with financial support from Norway. There, news meets the 22-year-old Jose Manuel Piralda. He has walked for days, slept on the streets, starved and frozen to try an uncertain future in the neighboring country. – The money is not enough for what I and my family need to live, says the 22-year-old. – After the dollar was introduced in Venezuela, there are plenty of goods in the shops, but the vast majority cannot afford to buy them. I have had three jobs recently, but still we live on the edge of starvation, says Jose Manuel Piralda. Electoral fraud and weak opposition The regime in Venezuela has the support of only 22 percent of the population. This is shown by the latest measurement from the renowned institute Datanalisis. By giving great privileges to the military, and by manipulating elections, President Maduro has stayed in power. This despite tremendous economic pressure from the US and other Western countries. – The opposition in Venezuela has failed, says commentator and regime opponent Carlos Cosanova. Nicolás Maduro has ruled Venezuela since 2013, and has a firm grip on power. Photo: YURI CORTEZ / AFP – The opposition is groping in the dark and is led by egocentric people, he believes. – The candidates on the right are more concerned with themselves than with the best of the country. They fail to cooperate. Thus, the regime can continue to rule, he says. Thinks Maduro will win the election The commentator is not looking forward to the future. – The situation in the country is not going to improve. In order to bring about an improvement, the government must change its policy. Its politics is an authoritarian socialism, with state control of the economy and the absence of democracy. The commentator Carlos Cosanova does not believe in improvement in the country under the Maduro regime. Photo: Arnt Stefansen / news – The only people who benefit from this are an elite of politicians, business people and the military, while the vast majority continue to suffer or flee the country, says Cosanova. Next year there are presidential elections in Venezuela. The opposition will hold elections in the coming weeks to nominate its candidates. But Carlos Cosanova has little faith that it will be possible to rally to a common front against the president and the socialist party: – The signals that have arrived so far unfortunately indicate that the opposition will continue to fight each other, instead of joining forces. Like most experts, I therefore believe that the regime will continue to rule Venezuela, says the well-known commentator to news.
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Ten years of a hated president – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
