Briefing

Total and Equinor Left Petrocedeño

Equinor and Total left Petrocedeño and now PDVSA is the sole proprietor of the JV. Zulia governor Omar Prieto said that they’ll infiltrate intelligence officers in vaccination centers. Deputy Freddy Guevara hasn’t been allowed visitors, nor his lawyer or a doctor after two weeks of being arbitrarily detained

Naky Soto
  • ExxonMobil reported on Thursday that a new oil field was discovered on the Stabroek Block in Guyana. Oil minister Tareck El Aissami tried to spin the fact that TotalEnergies and Equinor left the PetroCedeño project as an achievement. 
    • Starting now, without Norwegian and French participation,  the Venezuelan Oil Corporation is the sole proprietor. 
    • Professor Francisco Monaldi said that  TotalEnergies and Equinor leaving the country is terrible news: “PetroCedeño is the largest on the Faja del Orinoco and most likely the largest private capital investment in Venezuelan history, as well as one of the largest in Latin America,” he said. “That they abandoned the project is the reflection of two terrible circumstances: the lack of possibility of improving the investment environment and the lack of interest of European companies in heavy fuel oils.” 
  • After the alleged pact with FEDECÁMARAS, Maduro accused the business sector of an alleged plan of destabilizing the economy. The old “war on the economy” justified opaque and arbitrary policy that then became shortages and crises.
    • According to Maduro, only ten actors have disturbed the price of the dollar and the value of our currency. He said that he has “more capacity to neutralize them” now. 
    • The second part of his statement was hopeful, he asked his team to find “a way for growth, production and prosperity.” Maduro ordered Delcy Rodríguez to call on public and private banks to multiply financing for food producers and assured that credits could be issued in dollars or cryptocurrency.
  • The National Electoral Council posted the instructions for equal nominations for the elections: “The nominations must be equal and each gender must have 50% representation. In cases where it’s impossible to do so, one of the genders must have 40% at least,” explained CNE board member Tania D´Amelio.
  • Benigno Alarcón said that the lack of electoral conditions can’t be an excuse to not vote because it doesn’t make an electoral transition impossible and the opposition could be victorious with a well-organized structure. 
  • Deputy Luis Eduardo Martinez exhorted the opposition to not abandon the electoral route: “Nobody is saying these conditions are perfect, but they never will be if we don’t accumulate them.” 
  • Former president of PDVSA Rafael Ramírez, assured that Equinor and TotalEnergies leaving the Orinoco is in rejection of the regime: “Nobody wants to work with this inefficient government,” he said. 
  • Control Ciudadano said that the High Command is registered to vote in the PSUV primaries. 
  • Zulia governor Omar Prieto said that they’ll infiltrate intelligence officers in vaccination centers. 
  • Five out of six of the charges against Miguel Rodríguez Torres were dropped in his preliminary hearing, which took place three years after he was detained. His defense team reported that he’ll be tried for instigation to rebellion, but there’s no evidence. 
  • Deputy Freddy Guevara hasn’t been allowed visitors, nor his lawyer or a doctor after two weeks of being arbitrarily detained, and also warned Guevara has health issues. 
  • During the second edition of “Las víctimas le hablan al fiscal de la CPI” forum, a group of victims of human rights violations and family members expressed they are expecting the ICC to sanction the crimes that have been committed in Venezuela and that they expect the process at the ICC to advance. They demand an investigation on the chain of command of the officers who violated human rights because they are also responsible for these crimes. 
  • The OAS Working Group for Venezuelan Migrants and Refugees warned that our exodus could reach seven million people by early 2022. If the borders reopen and the crisis continues, we’d become the largest exodus in the world, even larger that Syria’s.
  • The Colombian government announced that pregnant Venezuelan women will be able to get vaccinated regardless of their legal status.
  • Al Jazeera journalist Joshua Collins reported on a rumor that has been growing stronger, about the border with Colombia: “A FARC dissident group is about to go to war with el Tren de Aragua in Cúcuta (…) and they’ve told coyotes that starting Monday, working with the Tren is a crime that can be punished with death.”
  • Lola Castro, regional director of the World Food Program, visited Falcón and said she’s impressed by the progress that’s been made and reiterated their goal is to help vulnerable children.
  • UCV rector Cecilia García Arocha assured that public universities can’t keep working “on volunteer work and charity.” They haven’t received the budget for the 2020-2021 period yet and they’re still owed 75% of the 2020 budget. 
  • The president of the Sole Guild of Public Workers Zenaida Figuera demanded the release of nurse Ada Macuare, detained in Anzoátegui for denouncing the lack of supplies and demanding vaccines and better wages.
  • U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Spanish Foreign minister José Manuel Albares, talked about the political crises in Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela. Blinken pushed for “promoting integral negotiations that lead to free and fair elections.” 

Naky Soto

Naky gets called Naibet at home and at the bank. She coordinates training programs for an NGO. She collects moments and turns them into words. She has more stories than freckles.

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