Venezuela

Orinoco Tribune: President Maduro on Sheinbaum’s Victory in Mexico: ‘A Great Victory for Patria Grande’ “We have seen an extraordinary demonstration of civility and democracy in Mexico this Sunday.” “I congratulate this noble people, their President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum, the Morena Party, the PT, and the social movements,” he wrote. The Venezuelan government statement said, “The government of Venezuela extends its congratulations to brother President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who concludes a historic mandate with robust national and international leadership, which has dignified our region, becoming one of the main references in the fight against imperialism and neocolonialism, always defending the sovereignty of the Latin American peoples. The triumph of the Mexican people today becomes a triumph of the entire Patria Grande, sending a resounding message of hope to our region and the entire world by defeating the hatred, manipulation, and attacks by the ultraconservative and surrenderist forces, which have once again failed and stumbled upon the fighting spirit of our people, willing to continue building their prosperity.”

Claudia Sheinbaum, the Mexican presidential candidate for the Morena party, overwhelmingly won the elections with 59.2% of the votes versus 27.8% of her right-wing rival, Xóchitl Gálvez.

Al Mayadeen: Venezuela’s Far-Right Opposition Plans Post-Electoral Violence Vice president of the PSUV Diosdado Cabello confirmed and condemned a new destabilizing plan of post-electoral violence led by the far-right opposition and the White House, scheduled to begin operation from July 28 to July 31. According to the subversive proposal, once the National Electoral Council (CNE) announces the results of the presidential elections, their misdeeds will begin by disregarding the electoral result, attempting the seizure of the Miraflores Palace, seat of the government. The steps in the plan was for “everyone to stay at the voting centers on July 28.” The day after the elections, they ask, “regardless of the results announced by the CNE, to march towards and take Miraflores.” For July 30, they planned an “open trial against senior leaders of the government,” and placed the 31st as the day of the “Renaissance of Venezuela.” Cabello said “we are not going to stay calm and wait” for them to destabilize the country again.

VenezuelaSolidarityUK: Briefing: Venezuelan Elections 28 July 2024 as prescribed in Venezuela’s constitution. Introduction; The electoral process in Venezuela; Who are the candidates; Which organisations are sending international observers?

Francisco Dominguez: Venezuela’s Chavistas rally as the elections approach The start of the election campaign period in Venezuela was almost axiomatically followed by a mass unity mobilisation of Chavista forces, a messy crisis of leadership and candidacy for the right-wing opposition and the announcement by the US of more sanctions against the country’s main revenue earner: the oil industry. The main themes of the right’s campaign, echoed by the US and EU political Establishments, are about the need to vigorously mobilise to defeat and oust the Maduro government (for which they say this election is a historic opportunity); and, inescapably, they are making noises that the election may be rigged. Our solidarity must be intensified to condemn and reject any attempt by the extreme right to engage in violence.

Labour Outlook: US intensifies sanctions against Venezuela The US has moved again to tighten the screws on Venezuela as it advances towards the presidential election. Biden reimposed sanctions on the oil and gas industry, temporarily lifted in October 2023. US sanctions have been levied against Venezuela for nearly a decade, in an attempt to bring about ‘regime change’ and replace an elected government with a compliant administration posing no challenge to US economic and political interests in the region. The toughest sanction measures targeted PDVSA and CITGO, to disrupt Venezuela’s reliance on oil exports. The damage to the oil industry has cost Venezuela $100 billion of revenue over the last five years.

Capire: Venezuelan Women, Feminism, and People Power Building Since the Organic Law of Communes was established in 2010, more than 3,000 communes have been registered. Each commune has its own structure, including communal councils. The government and communers estimate that women make up 80% of the people in the movement building practical communal processes. It is no coincidence that many of the projects were related to supplying drinking water, improving home structures and even communal offices, and building collective spaces, like amphitheater rooms. – The rest of the article reviews the work of some women’s communes.

Venezuelanalysis: Llaneros Resist the Blockade: The Pancha Vásquez Commune (Part II) The latest installment in the Communal Resistance Series takes us to the Pancha Vásquez commune in Apure State in the Venezuelan plains region [Llanos]. Part I of this three-part series dealt with the history and productive activities of the Pancha Vásquez Commune. Here in Part II we look at how the communards have resisted the devastating effects of the US blockade.

Cuba

Al Mayadeen: Cuban Foreign Minister: US plans to sanction ICC expose complicity in Gaza genocide The US Congress intentions to impose sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC) exposes the US complicity in the genocide against the Gaza Strip, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez pointed out. Rodriguez highlighted that “Israel has murdered 15,438 children in Gaza,” adding that “3,500 children are at risk of dying from hunger, lack of vaccines and blockage of humanitarian aid.”

Liberation News: I witnessed an alternative to the US homelessness crisis in socialist Cuba Within the US, homelessness has become a permanent feature of the capitalist system, and around 650,000 sleep on the streets on any given night. In the last 30 years, the average age of homeless individuals in the United States has risen from 30 to 50. Politicians in Washington, meanwhile, dream up new ways to slash Social Security and Medicare, leaving future generations anticipating poverty in lieu of a secure retirement after decades of work. In Cuba, I observed an alternative to how a society could treat its more vulnerable individuals. In Cuba, sleeping in public places, digging through trash for food and begging is referred to as “ambulant behavior,” rather than “homelessness.” The top causes for ambulant behavior can be attributed to alcoholism, mental illness and loss of family support. Ambulant persons as a phenomenon in Cuba has been produced by the decades-long policies and economic, diplomatic and covert war on Cuba, where Washington’s policies have sought hundreds of measures to bring it back into its colonial control. Ambulant behavior has increased with the ever more severe conditions brought on by the U.S. blockade in recent years.

TeleSur: U.S. Announces Measures for Cuba, but Blockade Stays Strong The US Treasury Department announced measures to facilitate access internet access in Cuba and financing for entrepreneurs, but that do not constitute changes in its blockade against the island. The measures involve access to programs, mobile app stores, social networks, video conferencing platforms, educational, machine translation, maps, cloud content, among others, which until now were banned from the Cuba Washington’s policy of hostility. However, OFAC stated that its measures will benefit private sector activities either individually or in cooperatives, and exclude government officials and members of the Communist Party.

Donate

• Chicago ALBA Solidarity: $6,000 Matching Fund to fulfill Code Pink project to raise $55,000 to send Milk for Cuba’s Children Code Pink and Carlos Lazo, founder of Puentes de Amor, are raising $55,000 to send milk to Cuba for hospitalized children. They are close to fulfilling their goal, now at $48,000. We are having a $6,000 matching fund to help raise the rest so the milk can be sent.
• Global Health Partners: Help us to send cardiac pacemakers to Cubans who need them to survive. And act to stop the U.S. government’s economic siege of Cuba  So far, the US-European campaign has raised $80,000 of the $150,000 goal in three weeks.

Events

• June 4-16: Cuba’s Role in Building Global Peace ICAP speaking tour in Canada
• June 7: Chicago Teachers Union forum with representatives of Cuban Embassy
• June 10: Nicaragua Solidarity Coalition monthly zoom meetings: second Monday of the month 2:30 PM ET. Email [email protected] in advance to access.
• June 10: Venezuela leader Diosdado Cabello on Venezuelan electoral process and the forms of popular organization to guarantee the victory of the revolution 10:00 am ET https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81288844128?pwd=ieKNCyHGcucCeUvKnuAQbocMWO81iX.1 Meeting ID: 812 8884 4128. Access code: 693067
• June 13: Nicaragua Solidarity Coalition and others: Webinar Hands off the Uhuru 3 with the Uhuru 3, Lawyer Leonard Goodman, moderated by Margaret Kimberley. To registerbit.ly/Uhuru3
• June 23: Nicaragua Webinar: An Arrow in the Quiver of Empire: Weaponizing Human Rights with Alfred de Zayas authored The Human Rights Industry. and John Perry.
• June 23 Los Angeles: Cuba Labor Delegation Report back
• June 24 Protest & Petition Delivery at the U.S. Mission to the UN in NYC: Defend Venezuela’s Sovereignty Alliance for Global Justice and Venezuela Solidarity Network will host a demonstration in front of the U.S. Mission to deliver a petition signed by hundreds of organizations and individuals demanding respect for Venezuela’s sovereignty and the international protection of President Maduro.
• June 25: How Venezuela is Overcoming the US Blockade Carlos Ron, Venezuela’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs for North America, and Yosmer Arellan, Academic Collaborator of UN Special Rapporteur on the Impact of Unilateral Coercive Measures Alena Douha.
• July 6-7 No to NATO, Yes to Peace! NATO 2024 Counter-Summit
• July 14-17 Protest at the Republican National Convention. Join contingents against the US blockades and economic warfare on Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua
• August 19-22 Protest at the Democratic National Convention. Join contingents against the US blockades and economic warfare on Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua

Delegations to Venezuela, Cuba, Nicaragua

1. AFGJ Delegation to Venezuela July 21-31Join us in Venezuela during its presidential elections to witness, experience and learn about popular democracy in action and celebrate 22 years of the Bolivarian Revolution since the attempted coup against President Hugo Chávez.
2. Cuba Delegations

• National Single Payer delegation to Cuba Single Payer webinar video Against All Odds: What the US Can Learn from the Cuban Health Care System
• Witness for Peace delegations to Cuba 
• Friendly Planet delegations to Cuba

3. Nicaragua Delegations Casa Ben Linder 2024 delegations

Email [email protected] to apply:

• November 8-17 2024: Salud & Solidaridad: Hands-On Healthcare in Nicaragua  
• February 2025: The Bird Brigade: Birding in Solentiname Arquipelago 
• March 2025: Power & Protagonism: Women in Nicaragua 

If you have events to publicize or find helpful articles for readers on the ALBA countries, please send them to [email protected],  or you can post them on Facebook here: Venezuela; Nicaragua; Bolivia; Latin America in general (here or here) Or send them to  [email protected]