Bolivarian Government of Venezuela
Ministry of People’s Power for Foreign Affairs
Vol. 3: Issue 45, 20th November, 2017
Embassies of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela in the World
Weekly Newsletter Inside This Issue 1. Supreme Court of Kenya unanimously upholds Oct 26th re-election of President Uhuru Kenyatta
Supreme Court of Kenya unanimously upholds Oct 26th re-election of President Uhuru Kenyatta
Supreme Court unanimously upholds the re-election of President Uhuru Kenyatta paving way for his swearing in for second term in office. All the eyes were on the Supreme Court judges led by Chief Justice David Maraga, who upheld Uhuru re-election to paving way for his swearing in for the second term in office. The court nullified the August 8 election on account of illegalities and irregularities. Among the faults found by the highest court in the land is lack of proper transmission system and at the same time use of forms which did not have security features. This time, the court unanimously upheld President Uhuru’s re-election throwing out the petitions on grounds that they were not merited. “The court has unanimously determined that the petitions are not merited and the final orders are that the petition by John Harun Mwau versus the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission and two others as consolidated is hereby dismissed.” As a consequence, the presidential election of October 26 is hereby upheld as is the election of Uhuru Kenyatta,” Chief Justice David Maraga communicated. And while the bench has 21 days to deliver its full judgement, the preparation of the petitions themselves, is likely to have contributed to their dismissal on account of the questions raised by the judges during their hearing last week. Justice Jackton Ojwang for instance questioned the manner in which Mue and Khalifa sought to introduce IEBC Commissioner Roselyne Akombe’s resignation letter into evidence. “Can you vouch for the validity or the veracity of that statement yourself or any other person without the person who pronounced it, speaking to that? (by way of affidavit evidence),” he challenged their legal counsel Julie Soweto as she made her oral submissions. It is also worth noting that amendments were made to the election laws post the annulment of the August 8 presidential election by the ruling party; raising the bar on the conditions that need to be met before the Supreme Court can find an election invalid, triggering a fresh exercise. www.capitalfm.co.ke www.standardmedia.co.ke The views and opinions expressed in these articles are of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official position of the Embassy
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2. The tricky business of removing Robert Gabriel Mugabe 3. US calls Venezuela a global threat at UN as EU approves arms embargo 4. Trump doubles down on sanctions and regime change for Venezuela 5. The Government of the Sultanate of Oman celebrates the 47th anniversary of Independence 6.The governorship elections in Venezuela:- The PSUV wins by a landslide, opposition in disarray
The tricky business of removing Robert Gabriel Mugabe
Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe. The military on Friday changed tack in its determination to remove Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe from office after he firmly resisted any deal that would prematurely end his leadership of the ruling Zanu-PF party and the countr
Away from the capital Harare, Zanu-PF has convened provincial meetings to elect new officials and called a Central Committee meeting, on the orders of the military. "President Mugabe was stage-managing rallies with his wife," Mr Mutsvangwa said, explaining why the party meetings will be different this time. Zanu-PF Central Committee meeting was scheduled for Sunday, where President Mugabe and his wife will be expelled from the party he helped establish in 1963.
Friday 17th Nov. the military changed tack in its determination to remove Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe from office after he firmly resisted any deal that would prematurely end his leadership of the ruling Zanu-PF party and the country.
Days earlier, President Mugabe had fired his long-time lieutenant for "disloyalty and deceit." Vicepresident Emmerson Mnangagwa, who is believed to be the brains behind the army takeover, will be made party president, just a fortnight after the same Zanu-PF structures were being railroaded to pass a vote of no confidence against him.
During discussions with takeover leader General Constantino Chiwenga brokered by South Africa and Botswana, President Mugabe said he would only agree to a transition plan hinged on the country’s Constitution. In short, he would not leave the chairmanship of Zanu-PF until the party’s congress next month or the presidency before elections expected to be held in July or August next year.
Protest march Officials close to the military said once President Mugabe is stripped of his role as head of the ruling party, it will be easier for the generals to force him into a deal. Former liberation fighters who are sympathetic to Mr Mnangagwa said they will organise a march in the capital Harare in yet another political strategy to force the 93-year-old president to resign.
Impeachment With Gen Chiwenga and the army still beholden to President Mugabe as commander-in-chief — and keen not to lose international support if they took power by force — the generals have now resorted to a political and legally binding solution that will see the President’s support within the party weakened from the grassroots before an impeachment in parliament this week. “War veterans are the game-changers. The military is there to uphold the Constitution,” war veterans leader Christopher Mutsvangwa told journalists in Harare. “We want the grand show of people’s power.”
Mr Mutsvangwa said the veterans and the military, who are fronting him as party leader and presumptive presidential candidate, had contacted opposition leaders, including former prime minister Morgan Tsvangirai and former vice-president Joice Mujuru to form a transitional government after President Mugabe's departure.
Mr Mutsvangwa said if President Mugabe did not resign, the former fighters would "settle scores" at a rally planned for Saturday. Zimbabwe's generals are now pursuing a political route to push President Mugabe out within a week of putting him under house arrest.
He said the war veterans had resolved their differences with Mr Tsvangirai, against whose supporters the fighters and the army waged a violent campaign after he defeated President Mugabe in the first round of the presidential election in 2008.
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The opposition leader was forced to withdraw from the second round of the election, allowing President Mugabe to hang on to power.
Mugabe 'We Are A Nation Born Out of Struggle' “We are a nation born out of a protracted struggle" for independence and the goals and ideals of that struggle continue to “guide us," said Mugabe. After having been imprisoned for over a decade by colonial forces, as well as being prohibited from attending the funeral of his three-year-old son, Michael Nhamodzenyika, Mugabe helped lead the Chimurenga Bush War from Mozambique to oust former president Ian Smith and his white minority government.
With military officials to his right and government officials to his left, Zimbabwean President, Robert Mugabe, addressed the nation on live television this evening. “Military officials share their concerns about Zimbabwe with me in good faith,” he said, adding that criticisms against the ruling ZANU-PF party by high officials gave way to the current political situation inescable.
He'd come under fire from western countries for reclaiming land to distribute more equitably among his compatriots.
“We are a nation born out of a protracted struggle for national independence,” Mugabe said, adding that the goals and ideals of the struggle against “those who occupied and oppressed us” continue to “guide” our “collective legacy across generations and times.”
In an article published in the Daily Telegraphy newspaper, British Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Boris Johnson, decried former Prime Minister Tony Blair's "betrayal" of the 1979 Lancaster House Agreement, which, in recognizing Zimbabwe's independence and plans to redistribute land, promised a white farmers compensation package to be paid by Britain.
He went on to say that that ZANU-PF was failing in its own rules and regulations and that the era of arbitrary decision-making must be “put behind.” The party's official congress will take place next month and Mugabe announced that he would preside over it. “We all embrace a new ethos,” he said.
By 2013, despite the British government's “shameful part,” Boris wrote, in withholding the white farmer's compensation, Mugabe had lived up to his end of the bargain, expropriating or confirming for redistribution most of their land. The United States had imposed a credit freeze on Zimbabwe way back in 2001. The European Union followed suit in 2002 by imposing sanctions in the form of an asset freeze and travel ban. The measures led to a major trade deficit and adversely affected the country's healthcare system.redistribution.
As to the political turmoil facing the country over the past few days, Mugabe emphasized that the military command element remained “respectful, faithful to the constitution.” He added that he was happy that “throughout the short period, the pillars of state remained functional.” Mugabe reiterated that that Zimbabwean government remains “committed to promote social, material conditions of people” and as of tonight the entire nation “gets refocused, as we put shoulder to the wheel.” He went on to exhort his compatriots to move forward, “reminding ourselves of our wartime mantra.”
www.theeastafrican.co.ke www.allafrica.com www.telesurtv.net The views and opinions expressed in these articles are of the author
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US calls Venezuela a global threat at UN as EU approves arms embargo
He likewise accused Washington of double standards in its expressed concern for human rights in Venezuela. “It doesn’t stop being paradoxical that the United States tries to present itself to the world as a defender of human rights when it applies the death penalty, discriminates against its minorities, mistreats and assaults immigrants, contemplates torture, has prisons like Guantanamo and a long history of wars and invasions,” he continued. Monday’s UNSC meeting comes as the European Parliament formally approved an arms embargo against Venezuela as part of what it termed “restrictive measures” aimed at putting pressure on the Maduro government.
The US chaired an informal meeting at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to discuss the situation in Venezuela despite a boycott from leading members such as China and Russia. “The crisis in Venezuela today poses a direct threat to international peace and security. Venezuela is an increasingly violent narco-state that threatens the region, the hemisphere, and the world,” Washington’s ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, declared during the session. Also present at the meeting were Organization of American States Secretary General Luis Almagro and UN High Commissioner Human Rights Prince Zeid bin Ra’ad, both vocal critics of the government in Caracas. The meeting was also boycotted by Bolivia and Egypt, who objected to Washington’s interference in Venezuelan internal affairs. “The situation in Venezuela is an issue that is entirely the responsibility of Venezuelans and of course does not constitute a threat to international peace and security,” said Bolivian UN Ambassador Sacha Llorenty at a press conference alongside his Russian, Chinese, and Venezuelan counterparts.
The EU also reportedly adopted a legal framework for targeting Caracas officials with travel bans and asset freezes, following in the footsteps of the Trump administration, which imposed another round of sanctions against ten more Venezuelan officials last week. The embargo has, however, been met with backlash from some EU legislators, who regard the move as hypocritical in light of Brussels’ ongoing arms sales to a host of notorious human rights violators. “Today they go after Venezuela and the Venezuelan people, while they turn a blind eye to countries like Saudi Arabia, Morocco, and other Latin American countries where human rights violations matter less because their governments are friends,” declared United Left parliamentary spokesperson Marina Albiol. The EU measures, she said, “are designed to continue backing the strategy of the United States and the European right-wing that tries to put an end to the [Venezuelan] government at any cost, without going through the ballot box.” Last month, the European Parliament awarded the Venezuelan opposition its most prestigious human rights award in a highly controversial decision that was rejected by the legislature’s left bloc. www.venezuelanalysis.com www.nytimes.com
Thanking the other nations for their support, Venezuelan UN Ambassador Rafael Ramirez denounced the US for “abusing its prerogatives” as a permanent UNSC member “to impose its geopolitical agenda” in violation of the UN Charter.
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Trump doubles down on sanctions and regime change for Venezuela On November the 3rd, President Maduro of Venezuela proposed a meeting with creditors, for November 13 in Caracas, to discuss a restructuring of Venezuelan public debt. On November 8, the Trump administration reacted by warning US bondholders that attending this meeting could put them in violation of US economic sanctions against Venezuela. Such a violation can be penalized by 30 years in prison and up to $10 million dollars in fines for businesses.
But the Trump administration decided to double down on both regime change and sanctions. The strategy appears to be to prevent an economic recovery and to worsen the shortages (which include essential medicines and food) so that Venezuelans will get back in the streets and overthrow the government. The Trump sanctions explicitly prohibit new borrowing. This is to ensure that Venezuela cannot do what most governments do with most of their debt, i.e., “roll over” the principal by borrowing anew to pay the principal when a bond matures. For example, last week the government had to scramble to pay off $1.2 billion in principal for PDVSA bonds, to avoid default. (Although Venezuela cannot borrow on international markets right now, they could possibly do so in the foreseeable future.)
Then on Thursday, the administration added 10 more Venezuelan officials to the list of people under US sanctions. The new targets included electoral officials and also the head of the government’s main food distribution program. The sanctions violate the charter of the Organization of American States (Chapter 4, Article 19) and other international treaties that the US has signed. It is important to understand both the context and the intended (as well as likely) effects of the Trump administration's actions. With encouragement from Florida Senator Marco Rubio and other Republicans, Trump has been trying to help topple the elected government of Venezuela. After four months of violent street protests failed to accomplish this goal (and also alienated much of the Venezuelan population), most of the Venezuelan opposition opted to participate in the gubernatorial elections of October 15.
The sanctions also make a debt restructuring much more difficult or impossible. In a debt restructuring, interest and principal payments are postponed into the future, and the creditors receive new bonds ― which the sanctions explicitly prohibit. Now the Trump administration is also threatening even the negotiations for a restructuring, under the pretext that the chief negotiators Vice President Tareck El Aissami and Economy Minister Simon Zerpa, have been sanctioned for alleged drug trafficking and corruption, respectively. The Trump administration has not presented any evidence for these allegations.
The leading and most reliable pro-opposition pollster, Datanálisis, forecast an overwhelming opposition victory, with 18 governors. The result, however was the opposite: the governing PSUV (Socialist) party won 18 of the 23 races. Although there appear to be false vote totals that swung one close governor’s race (in Bolívar State) ― and this should be investigated ― the other results are not in question, and were accepted by most of the opposition. There are various explanations for the surprise result, but the most credible and important appear to revolve around opposition voter abstention and higher-than-expected turnout of pro-government voters. Improved food distribution probably helped the government.
The US Treasury statement of November 9 justifies targeting election officials because of “numerous irregularities that strongly suggest fraud helped the ruling party unexpectedly win a majority of governorships.” This is a fabrication, and is reminiscent of the 2013 Venezuelan presidential election, when Washington was the last government to recognize the result. Trump and his allies in the EU and the right-wing governments in Argentina and Brazil, as well as the fanatical Secretary General of the OAS, want to make sure that a recovery never happens. And despite all their blather about human rights and democracy, it is not a peaceful strategy they are promoting, as they take measures to increase Venezuelans’ suffering in the hopes of provoking the overthrow of the government. This is not “democracy promotion.” It is regime change, by any means necessary ― as Trump, in his usual blustery way, made clear when he threatened military action against Venezuela.
One thing that seems to have hurt the opposition was their support for the Trump sanctions. According to Datanálisis, Venezuelans were against the sanctions by a margin of 61.4 to 28.5 percent; and among the unaligned voters, more than 70 percent were opposed. Also, 69 percent wanted the opposition and government to reinitiate talks. The regime change strategy had failed.
www.venezuelanalysis.com www.creedpolitico.com
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The Government of the Sultanate of Oman celebrates the 47th anniversary of Independence
On Friday the 17th of November 2017, the Sultanate of Oman celebrated two important occasions: the 77th birth anniversary of Sultan Qaboos bin Said al Said, and its 47th National Day, which commemorates its independence from Portugal in 1650. The day featured lectures and public speeches on the sultanate’s history and progress. The celebration took on a festive ambience, with Omani people based in other parts of the globe reunite with their families to enjoy the traditional parades that honor the Sultan, sports events, and evening fireworks. Sultan Qaboos bin Said al Said was born in Salalah, in the Sultanate of Oman’s Southern Region, on the 17th Shawwal 1359 (November 18, 1940). The President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela Nicolás Maduro Moros, on behalf of Venezuelans and the Government, expresses his most sincere words of joy to the Brother People and Government of the Sultanate of Oman, during the celebration of their 47th anniversary of their Independence. The Bolivarian People, within the framework of their doctrine of Bolivarian Diplomacy of Peace, and in full accordance with the historical legacy of Commander Hugo Chávez Frías, thanks the Omani People and Government for their unquestionable vocation and constructive work in favor of peace, stability and security in the Middle East, as well as throughout the world. Venezuela reiterates its willingness to continue promoting efforts in favor of the consolidation of the historic relations of respect, friendship and solidarity existing between both countries, with a view to increasing bilateral cooperation ties in all areas, as well as to continue the work for the joint defense of our strategic interests and resources. www.mppre.gob.ve
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Reasons for sanctions against Venezuela
The governorship elections in Venezuela:- The PSUV wins by a landslide, opposition in disarray
The governing party of Venezuela, the PSUV (United Socialist Party of Venezuela), has recently obtained a resounding electoral victory for State governorship. The election was called by the CNE (National Electoral Council) at the instance of the ANC (National Constituent Assembly). Soon after, the opposition group MUD (Democratic Unity Coalition) seemed to be in disarray. Enrique Capriles of Primero Justicia (Justice First) party, for example, resigned from the MUD coalition questioning Henry Ramos Allup of the AD (Democratic Action) party who in turn expelled the four AD governors who dared to be sworn-in in front of the ANC in acceptance of the election results. Question: In the last elections of October 15 for the 23 state governorships in Venezuela, the governing party won 18 states. What is your analysis of this result in the context of the political process in Venezuela? Arnold August: Not only did it win the 18 states, but the PSUV substantially increased its popular vote compared with the National Assembly elections held in December 2015, when the opposition won by a wide margin. Thus, in a short period of time, the Bolivarian Revolution reversed the situation. These latest October 2017 state elections, therefore, are of great historical significance not only for Venezuela but for the whole region. The U.S. is hoping to subvert the Bolivarian Revolution and use it as a springboard to weaken, and even destroy, other left-wing movements and governments in the area. The latter represent an alternative to capitalism and they, along with other powers such as Russia, China and Iran, flourish as a major multi-polar challenge to the U.S. goal of world hegemony.
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Thus, because of the domestic and international importance of this resurgence in the last elections, the analysis is still ongoing. Any serious observer is obliged to continue to reflect upon and investigate the upset victory, as you are striving to do now with this interview. Nevertheless, there is one ongoing conclusion that I have been exploring since the elections. The election results marked a watershed in Venezuelan democracy. The majority of the people and the Maduro government crossed the Rubicon from participatory democracy toward protagonist democracy. They may not have yet reached terra firma on the other shore of the Rubicon, but Venezuelan democracy is firmly on the path toward protagonist democracy as the main feature of its political system. Some Bolivarian Revolution sympathizers and activists in Venezuela and outside may raise their eyebrows in surprise, and even suspicion, with regard to my view. The analysis may seem, if looked at superficially and dogmatically, as an underestimation of the outstanding Bolivarian experience in participatory democracy. However, this is far from being the case. For example, in my 2013 publication Cuba and Its Neighbours: Democracy in Motion, there is a section dealing with Cuba’s neighbour titled “Venezuela: New Experiments in Participatory Democracy” that provides a very positive analysis.
And, more importantly, consider this. Hugo Chávez very clearly stated that “socialism means participatory democracy but above all protagonist democracy” (Comandante Chávez, “El Socialismo es la Democracia Participativa y sobre todo la Protagónica,” posted March 19, 2013).
“above all protagonist.” Thus, the paradox: Venezuela is now anchored in an even more favourable position to defend and expand its revolution, as the state election results glaringly exposed. The 2002 American policy of blatant interference, as exemplified in the coup d’état, has become a daily staple in other more “smart power” forms feeding the unrest and crisis in Venezuela. This approach began to take shape after President Obama refused to recognize Nicolás Maduro as the constitutionally elected successor to Chávez on April 14, 2013. There has been virtually no let up since, with Obama handing the U.S. Venezuela game plan over to Trump on a silver platter. Only the form of the 2002 attempted coup has changed. It has become a slow-motion coup but with the same intent: to smash the socialist program. The response is that, metaphorically, every day in Venezuela is lived with the slogan “every 11th has its 13th” at the forefront.
Protagonist democracy means that the people are reaching the stage of consciousness and action – individually and collectively – to exercise on a daily basis their rightful protagonist role in their own revolution. We saw this in the massive uprising by the Venezuelan people. A civic–military alliance overturned the U.S.-supported April 11, 2002 coup d’état against the Chávez government only two days later on April 13. This is how the now legendary Chavista slogan came into being: “Every 11th has its 13th!” The people themselves are able to overcome even the most adverse situation and seemingly hopeless obstacle by taking affairs into their own hands.
However, unlike the military coup d’état attempt in 2002, now the “11th” is represented by the slow-motion coup that the U.S. has been fomenting since April 2013 to date, while the “13th” is the day-to-day people’s revolutionary struggle during this time to maintain political power. It was – and is – either that the Venezuelans will be the authors of their own revolution or that the revolution will be subverted.
This growing protagonist feature of the Bolivarian Revolution’s democracy goes hand in hand with its development of socialist measures. It has been evolving over the years at a steady pace despite the economic war waged by the U.S. against Venezuela. Alongside this evolution, protagonist democracy has deepened and broadened to increasingly become a daily feature in the lives of the people. The Chávez thinking on this progression, as expressed above, is crucial to viewing today’s Venezuela from his perspective: socialism cannot be defended nor, even less, be developed without a political and electoral system based on protagonist democracy. Nonetheless, this developing level of consciousness is not tied to elections. On the contrary, the electoral process is just part of the battle of ideas that is being waged nationally and internationally in favour of socialism.
Question: And what was the role that the National Constituent Assembly plays in the country? AA: On May 1, 2017, the Maduro government announced the daring convening of elections to the National Constituent Assembly (NCA) to be held on July 30, 2017. The country was in the throes of the U.S.provoked crisis. This was the only way out for the well-being and peace of the entire nation. The time had come to “re-found” the Bolivarian Revolution, just as in 1999 with the new Constitution after the election of Chávez, who founded it as a first step. Please allow me to pursue the “crossing of the Rubicon” metaphor. The successful NCA elections, its dramatic convening and the results work together to represent the first plunge into the Rubicon: the protagonist feature of the Bolivarian Revolution overtook its complementary participatory characteristic to become what Chávez said was “above all” the need for being protagonist and not only participatory. The NCA itself constitutes the highest expression of a protagonist system whereby the people themselves govern. It thus provided the orientation and confidence for the state elections only two-and-a-half months later in order to propel the Bolivarian Revolution further toward crossing the river to the shore. This new form of people’s power is the basis for safeguarding and further developing Venezuela’s socialism.
Out of necessity, this political movement in Venezuela increasingly becomes “daily” – perhaps not literally but very close to it since the death of Hugo Chávez. Ironically, Obama and Trump, by striving to subvert the participatory and protagonist people’s political defence of its Bolivarian Revolution and the biggest oil reserves in the world, have contributed to pushing the revolution to convert democracy toward, as Chávez said,
www.venezuelanalysis.com www.globalresearch.ca The views and opinions expressed in these articles are of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official position of the Embassy
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