Nicolas Maduro is Deceiving the World while he Steals the Parliamentary Elections

In his quest to stay in power Nicolas Maduro has done everything, from repressing dissidents, incarcerating opposition leaders and student protesters, to even standing in front of the United Nations announcing possible violent acts from the Opposition “to alter the Parliamentary elections.”  

He has vowed to demonstrate his “vocation for a democratic and peaceful elections”, while in practice to Human Right Watch, uses the judicial system as a tool to penalize the Opposition. A case in point is the one of Political leader Leopoldo Lopez who was sentenced to 14 years in prison for leading peaceful protests against the regime. Seventy-eight others have also paid a huge price for protesting the regime, with torture and jail time.

Nicolas Maduro and his oppressive government, in another  move to maintain complete control of the electoral process, has prematurely retired 13 Supreme Court judges. The reason for this blatant disregard for the Venezuelan Democratic process is so he can replace those judges with those in favor of the regime and without the intervention of the Opposition. Maduro did the same a year ago, when 14 judges were replaced before of their scheduled retirement.

of their retirement.   At that time these judges were appointed bypassing any input from the opposition.

Maduro has also paralyzed the Opposition by banning them from running for parliamentary elections.  To top it all, Maduro has rejected foreign observers as was proposed by the the OAS, to observe the December electoral process in Venezuela. I will continue asking the same question:  Can a country where there is no transparency and the institutions of government are sequestered, have fair elections this December 6, 2015?

Can there be free and fair elections in Venezuela?

History has shown that elections in Venezuela for the past 16 years Venezuela have been tainted. Although some may say that there is a democracy because there are elections, most of them have not been fair.

On December 6, 2015, Venezuela will embark on the journey of trying once again to have transparent Parliamentary elections. The inability of the Maduro regime to conduct honest and transparent elections started in 2014 when Maduro “won” the presidential election against Henrique Capriles.  Ignoring the request of the opposition to recount the votes, Maduro “won” by a very narrow margin. Although Maduro agreed to re-count the votes, that never happened and Capriles lost the election

Prior to the 2014 Presidential elections, a survey conducted by the Venezuelan Institute for Data Analysis indicated that 45% all Venezuelans (including Chavistas) would have voted for Henrique Capriles. 39 % said they would have voted for Nicolas Maduro and 16 % were undecided.  We all know the outcome.

Since then, the Maduro regime with President of the National Assembly, Diosdado Cabello, have repeatedly made undemocratic moves by paralyzing members of the Parliament. That is the case of Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado who had been fired from her Legislature post by Diosdado Cabello even though the people of Venezuela elected her. Other opposition leaders banned from running are Daniel Ceballo, former Mayor of San Cristobal Municipality, in Tachira State, and Vicencio “Enzo” Scarano, former mayor of the municipality of San Diego in Carabobo State.

The electoral corruption and violation of democratic principals didn’t start with Nicolas Maduro. According to Forensic Analysis of Venezuelan Elections, during Chávez there were a number of elections with questionable outcomes. A case in point is the 2004 Presidential Recall Referendum. According to Forensic Analysis, the reliability of the voters registered was questionable, and there were unusual “variations in the electoral roll which were decisive in winning the 50% majority in the 2004 Referendum.”

Going back to the new December 2015 Parliamentary elections, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has rejected the OAS proposal to take part in the election as an observer. In a country where there is no transparency and the institutions of government are sequestered, can we honestly believe that Venezuela will have fair and transparent elections?

Venezuela: From Guns to Grenades

The unleashing of criminal activities in Venezuela was a strategy that Hugo Chavez used allowing the so called “Colectivos”, a group of criminals on motorcycles paid by the Chavez regime to tantalize and terrorize the Venezuelan people in the name of the Bolivarian Revolution.

Chavez armed those criminals first with Automatic weapons and Machine guns. Although Chavez is no longer around, Maduro, his successor has continued this policy of doing nothing against crime in Venezuela. Today the criminals use grenades to commit their crimes against police and citizens alike.

The number of people blown up is mounting in Venezuela, a country that "in 2014 has over 25,000 deaths resulting from the unbridled delinquency" supported directly or indirectly by the government.

The US State Department issued following warnings for Americans traveling to Venezuela “Violent crime is a serious problem, and the capital city of Caracas has one of the highest per capita homicide rates in the world. Kidnappings, assaults, and robberies occur throughout the country; no areas are safe.”

According to a Venezuelan source, the increased use of grenades is due to the fact that the grenades are small, compact and easy to conceal. They are easier to hide that an AK-47, but they are just as destructive and so far they have claimed many lives.  In the past two years, Venezuela has had more death caused by grenades that in any Latin American country. The criminals are seeking to establish control over territories, and because of the police presence is either weak or non-existent, they are able to operate freely.

Today is easier to buy grenades than food in Venezuela. The government controls the purchase of food which forces people to be in very long lines. It has done very little, or nothing, to control the proliferation of guns and grenades in Venezuela, leaving the people in a state of panic. The outcome is clear: large bands of criminals. There are about 10 criminal groups operating in different parts of the country. The criminals are determined and prepared to fight against the escalating resistance and pressure that the citizens are putting on the country’s security forces to fight the kidnapping, extortion, and murder rings operating in the country.

What started as a Chavez/Maduro regime tactic to terrorize the Venezuelan citizens has backfired, creating an uncontrollable situation that not even the government is able to contain. This “”Bolivarian Revolution” has not only weaken the economy of Venezuela, dismantled the infrastructure, and created rampant unrest, has also created one of the most dangerous countries in the world.

Pope Francis Smells Sulfur with Maduro's Presence

Nine years ago, Hugo Chavez stood at the UN General Assembly and made his famous statement against then president George Bush saying that "The devil came here yesterday, and it smells of sulfur still today, this table that I am now standing in front of."

This very disrespectful comment from the Venezuelan President  was considered a daring act by many. Chavez repeatedly accused Bush of orchestrating a cup d’état against him in 2002.
Last Friday Pope Francis addressed the United Nation with his passion about “enviromental justice.” After the Pope's remarkable speech, and as he was leaving , Maduro attempted to move closer, to be acknowledged.  His attempt was in vain and instead it raised eyebrows at his desperation. 

It is difficult to understand why  the Pope is okay with shaking the bloody hands  of Fidel Castro, last week. Thousand have been killed under his watch and many others are still victims of his brother Raul's regime. What is even more baffling from this otherwise remarkable Pope is his indifference with the Cuban dissidents. Last week while in Cuba, he  ignored the Opposition leaders who wanted to meet with him.  This seems to be a contradiction.

But going back to Maduro, It is very possible that the Pope finally smelled Maduro's Sulfur from his human right violations, and the conviction of Leopoldo Lopez. 

The Biggest misconception of the 21st Century

This video is a must  see. It is about the tragedy that Venezuela s living today under the Maduro regime, and the impact that this dictatorship is having in Venezuela and the world.  The video was put together by a group of Venezuelan students who have been the target of tortures and abuses by the government for daring to protest. Please watch it and pass it alone to your friends. Like you, these young and courageous men and women believe in democracy, freedom of speech and the right to a better life. 

National and International Outrage Against the Sentencing of Leopoldo Lopez

On Saturday Venezuelans, Colombians,. andDemocratic people across the globe united against last week’s conviction of political leader Leopoldo Lopez for 14 years in prison by the Maduro regime. 

The regime’s sentencing is a clear sign of it’s fear for the political outcome due to the hyperinflation, corruption, delinquency, and the extreme lack of products that the country is experiencing today. The sentencing has

re-enforced Lopez’s position as a united leader of the opposition.

 In New York City, Colombian and Venezuelans were united in an echo of the same sentiment of anger and repudiation against the Lopez conviction, and against the brutal human rights violations to poor Colombians living at the Venezuelan-Colombian borders.

Over 600 people were victims of deportations, and their homes, and properties were destroyed. In many instances, the Venezuelan Militia raped women, and girls. With the upcoming December 6 Parliamentary elections, this border incident was provoked by the Venezuelan regime to distract the Venezuelan people and to cause discord with the neighboring country. In addition, the United Nations reports that thousands of  Colombian have left Venezuela in outrage against this savage regime.

Venezuela, a country that was once considered a Democratic model of for Latin America now has the second highest homicide rate in the world.  The United States warns US citizens there about the out-of-control crime.  According to the report, heavily armed criminals have used grenades and assault rifles to commit crimes at banks, shopping malls, public transportation stations, and Universities.  The situation in Venezuela today is not sustainable and the Maduto regime is fully aware that its time is up.