Dear Radina Gigova
This article stated
“Maduro was elected in April after President Hugo Chavez’s death from
cancer. He has presided over a sharp decline in living standards and
has failed to stem rising violent crime.”
This remark doesn’t stand up to scrutiny.
The economy has not gone into recession since Maduro was elected despite the spike in inflation. Moreover inflation is not a direct measure of living standards. Many of the poorest countries in the world have extremely low levels of inflation (Mali, Rwanda, Chad).
Additionally, despite economic problems in 2013 poverty fell from 21.6 to 19.6%, extreme poverty from 6.3 to 5.5%, unemployment from 5.9% to 5.6%
The oppositions’ disappointing showing in recent municipal elections also point to the fact that there has not been (despite serious problems) a “sharp decline in living standards”.
As for crime, some scholarly research (cited in the opposition blog Caracas
Chronicles) suggests violent crime may have been falling since 2008.
You don’t seem to have researched very deeply at all.
Joe Emersberger
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