Latin America's tolerance of Venezuelan crisis may be reaching its limit.
| Autor | Marris, Johanna |
Latin American countries, for all their differences, have a history of solidarity when it comes to protecting the region's internal affairs, particularly in regards to US involvement. As Venezuela's economic and humanitarian crisis continues to deepen, however, with lives now at risk and the government refusing to respond, cracks are appearing in this regional solidarity and goodwill.
Venezuela's crisis is not new. President Nicolas Maduro has steadily lost popularity since taking control from the late Hugo Chavez (1999-2013), and the oil-dependent country has experienced shortages of basic goods, one of the highest rates of inflation in the world, and violent civil unrest to varying degrees throughout this period (NotiSur, March 22, 2015). High profile opposition leaders such as Leopoldo Lopez, Daniel Ceballos, and Antonio Ledezma were imprisoned not recently, but in 2014 and 2015. So while fellow Latin American countries have previously spoken out about these issues, why is a regional shift against the situation in Venezuela happening now?
OAS takes a stand
This shift has been marked by the beginning of talks at the Organization of American States (OAS) about the state of democracy in Venezuela. On May 31, the OAS Secretary General Luis Almagro invoked the organization's Inter-American Democratic Charter against Venezuela. The charter was adopted in 2001 (NotiSur, Sept. 14, 2001) and can be invoked when democracy in a member state has been overthrown, impaired, or unconstitutionally interrupted. In response, 20 of the 34 member states voted in favor of holding an extraordinary session of the OAS' Permanent Council to discuss the situation, showing the extent of concern in the region. At the session, held in Washington, D.C., on June 23, Almagro presented his assessment of the threats to democracy in Venezuela, including the failed economic system, corruption, increased political violence, restricted freedom of the press, lack of independence of the judiciary and the national electoral council, and constitutional violations such as the unlawful arrests of opposition activists (NotiSur, Feb. 19, 2016, and April 8, 2016). He closed with a plea for a return to democratic order and stability through ensuring that a recall referendum take place before the end of the year, as well as for cooperation between the executive and legislative branches of government, the release of all political prisoners, and the appointment of a new independent...
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