Last Thursday, September 5th, AFGJ met with Oscar Schemel, electoral consultant and president of the Venezuelan polling firm, Hinterlaces. For us it was an extraordinary experience to have a meeting with someone who has become a kind of “guru” of electoral statistics in Venezuela. Schemel’s objectivity and ability to make observations and criticisms as an impartial analyst helps us understand the political process and moment in which Venezuela finds itself.
For an hour and a half, over a cup of coffee and a glass of water, Oscar outlined elements of utmost importance that allow us to understand the results of Venezuela’s recent presidential election. Schemel notes that 69% of Venezuelans describe Venezuela’s current economic model as a “mixed economy,” supported by the vast majority of voters and expressed through the promotion of entrepreneurship, small and medium-sized businesses and mechanisms to support various economic sectors.
Oscar adds that 63% of Venezuelans support a more productive socialist economic model and are against the transition to a capitalist political economy; at the same time, Venezuelans observe a revival of a regulated private sector propelling economic development for the redistribution of capital and investment in the advancement of social welfare. The majority of Venezuelans recognizes the key role of the state as the primary driver of economic growth and human development. 86% reject sanctions against Venezuela and 90% believe that they affect all Venezuelans.
Notably, three out of four Venezuelans affirm that their economic future depends more on their own efforts than on what the government does. Oscar Shemel does not fail to admit that the sanctions have fallen short of achieving their objective, but they have managed to affect overall standard of living for Venezuelans, including the quality of public services and healthcare, and have led a sector of the Venezuelan population to lose interest in political life.
