OAS seeks emergency meeting over unrest in Venezuela

Latin America

Venezuela is facing suspension from the Organization of American States.

The regional governments will decide in the next few weeks if the South American country breached democratic rules making it eligible to get kicked out of the OAS.

But some are wondering if this is all coming down to a political feud between the group’s leader and Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

CCTV’s Michael Voss reports from Caracas.

Venezuela’s president Nicolas Maduro reacted angrily to the news that the head of the Organization of American States Luis Almagro has called an emergency meeting to examine his respect for democracy.

“Take you democratic charter [and] roll it into a tiny tube and find a better use,” he said recently.

Opposition leaders, though, are delighted at the news and for weeks have been urging the OAS to act.

Tensions are mounting in Venezuela as the country sides into economic chaos with severe shortages of food and medicines. The opposition won a majority in last December’s legislative elections but has been unable to govern, blocked at every move by the executive.

There have been clashes in recent weeks after the opposition collected signatures for a recall referendum which President Maduro refuses to recognize.


Bruno Binetti discusses the OAS announcement on Venezuela

To discuss more about the Organization of American States call for a meeting of regional governments to evaluate whether Venezuela’s breached democratic rules, CCTV America’s Mike Walter spoke with Bruno Binetti, research associate with the officer of the president at Inter-American Dialogue.

 


George Ciccariello-Maher talks about OAS and Venezuela

For more on the OAS meeting to investigate Venezuela’s current democratic standing, CCTV America’s Mike Walter spoke to George Ciccariello-Maher, associate professor of politics at Drexel University.