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Extreme poverty affects Venezuela. This is evidenced by a study carried out by the Andrés Bello Catholic University, a private institution that relied on the National Survey of Living Conditions (ENCOVI) to produce these results, this study was created in 2014 in order to obtain information and thus compensate the absence of official data. The increase in poverty and the social crisis in Venezuela is the topic we analyze in this edition of El Debate.
According to the National Survey of Living Conditions (ENCOVI), poverty reaches three out of every four Venezuelans.
On the other hand, extreme poverty, that is, those who live on a little more than a dollar a day, reaches 76.6%, while 65.2% of Venezuelan households deprive themselves of basic aspects such as buying food. Meanwhile, the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the oil nation contracted 74% between 2014 and 2020.
There are multiple reasons and causes that have led Venezuela to this difficult scenario for its citizens. Analysts and public perception highlight the economic mismanagement, hyperinflation that has led to the devaluation of the currency on multiple occasions, as well as the fuel crisis that has generated difficulties for citizens. Paradoxically, despite having some of the largest oil reserves in the world, Venezuela has no fuel.
The difficult economic, political and health situation in Venezuela has led more than five million Venezuelan citizens to leave their country in search of opportunities to destinations such as Europe, the United States and neighboring countries. And while the crisis worsens, the Government of Nicolás Maduro blames this situation on the United States and international sanctions.
But what about the mismanagement, the mismanagement of resources and the waste of the benefits that a gallon of oil brought above 100 dollars to invest in the infrastructure of basic services? What do Venezuelans say as directly affected victims? How to seek an improvement in the situation? What can the international community do? We analyze this panorama from the hand of our guests:
– Karim Vera, deputy of the National Assembly of Venezuela 2015-2020 and coordinator of Primero Justicia in the state of Táchira.
– William Benavides, deputy of the National Assembly of Venezuela for the Tupamaro Movement.
– And in the France 24 study, we are joined by Ronald Rodríguez, a researcher at the Venezuela Observatory of the Universidad del Rosario.
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