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We appreciate your ongoing support and interest. At the moment, we are undergoing some transitions regarding our coverage of Venezuela and Latin America. We thank you for your patience while we reorganise our blog in accordance with other Amsterdam & Peroff interests. In the meantime, our main page continues as per the norm.
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Those living in the country's interior said the decision to suspend power cuts just in the capital is discriminatory. Authorities, customers, students and workers demonstrated their anger in states such as Anzoategui, Bolivar and Carabobo. They said they have been experiencing an energy crisis for more than a year. In Zulia, Enelven decided to suspend the service for two hours. Source: El Universal
Here's Freedom House Research director Arch Puddington, speaking to the AP on the just-released Freedom House report: "The most powerful authoritarian regimes have become more repressive, more influential in the international arena and more uncompromising."
Among these more repressive regimes are Iran, Russia, Venezuela and Vietnam.
From the report itself:
Venezuela received a downward trend arrow due to the politically motivated disqualification of opposition candidates and the abuse of state resources by incumbent politicians during state and local elections.
Good night to light. The electricity rationing plan began operation on Tuesday in the western state of Zulia. The government mandate extends throughout the country. Source: Diario La Verdad
The government is suspending electrical power for four hours every other day throughout Venezuela as a move that intensifies rationing amidst an energy shortage in the country. The presidents of the state electricity companies of Caracas, Zulia and Tachira states announced plans to ration four hours that will apply immediately. The head of the state-run company Electricity of Caracas, Javier Alvarado, told reporters that starting today the outages will last for four hours every two days, that they are seeking to address the "energy deficit of 12%" generated by failures in the Guri dam. Confronted with the risks that the Guri dam has begun facing, the government imposed a reduction in the hours of stores and shopping malls and obligated residential, commercial and industrial areas to reduce monthly energy consumption by 20 percent. The government has also closed some lines and cells of state-owned enterprises Aluminio del Caroni SA (Alcasa) Industria Venezolana de Aluminio CA (Venalum) and Siderurgica del Orinoco (Sidor), which are important in the local construction industry.
From Hamsayeh:
The Venezuelan government announced it has removed visa requirements for Iranian nationals wishing to visit the Latin American nation, yesterday. The announcement followed an agreement signed in March 2009, between the presidents of the two countries.
Venezuela is now the third Latin American country that lifts visa requirements for Iranian visitors after Nicaragua and Ecuador enacted similar measures last year.
Iran and progressive Latin American countries have expanded mutual ties in economic, political and cultural fields. However, Iran's cooperation with Latin American countries has become a major concern for Washington, which regards South America like its own backyard and a region to wield influence at will.
Caracas, Jan. 11 (El Mundo) .- Former Central Bank governor Domingo Maza Zavala estimated that inflation for 2010 could reach between 50 and 60% as a result of Friday's devaluation. To Maza Zavala, the parallel market "will remain of great importance in setting prices if officials maintain the current scheme of limitation and delay in the liquidation of official dollar settlement. "The parallel market will not disappear, because those who fail obtain official dollars will have to resort to barter to get dollars, especially if problems persist with Cadivi transactions," he said. Last year the sector faced delays of 180 days in the delivery of Cadivi dollars, which resulted in many people going to the parallel market. The result, according to Maza Zavala, was that the price of imported wholesale products increased 35.7%.
"If a good part of imports were bought at 2.15 and now will be priced at 4.30, it is inevitable that inflation will double," said Maza Zavala, and for that reason he estimates that prices this year will be between 50 and 60% higher than last year. He based his analysis on two fundamental facts: a fall in purchasing power of between 30 and 40% for Venezuelans - which will reduce consumption - and increased demand for parallel market dollars. "If with a floor of 2.15 bolivars to the dollar the alternate market reached values three times higher, the rise will be much greater with a floor of 4.30 bolivars to the dollar," he said. For products in stock, he believes people are trying to buy everything they can and that means depletion of inventories that will need to be replenished. "The problem is that without knowing what the replacement cost will be, prices will surely rise."
Original report accessible (in Spanish) here.
Afiuni, who has in detention at INOF, was taken to court handcuffed and wearing a bulletproof vest, said attorney Juan Garantón. They awaited the results of today's hearing, although the court's decision has the possibility of being adopted. Source: Noticias 24
