Caracas Chronicles

• Maduro announced via Twitter new changes in his cabinet. 
  • Jorge Arreaza, who was the Foreign Minister, will now be the Minister of Oil and Production. 
  • Felix Plasencia will take his place as Foreign Minister. Plasencia had been the ambassador to China and was on the flight to Spain with Delcy Rodríguez in January 2020, which became Delcygate. 
  • Even though Remigio Ceballos is sanctioned because of human rights violations, he will be the Interior and Justice Minister and the vice president of Citizen Safety. 
  • William Serantes, who had been the Navy’s general commander, will be the Mining minister. 
  • Mervin Maldonado will be the vice president for Social and Territorial Socialism. 
  • Former Cojedes governor Margaud Godoy, will be the Women’s Rights Minister.
  • Monagas governor Yelitze Santaella, will be the Education Minister. 

• The survey of the University Observatory (ENOBU 2021) revealed the impoverishment of professors and students, higher risks and both sectors’ vulnerability. Here are some of the findings: 
  • 88% of professors and 95% of students haven’t been vaccinated or have information about when they’ll get the first dose. 
  • 9 out of 10 professors have difficulties obtaining the medicine they need. 
  • 50% of professors said their food intake got worse: three out of ten admitted that they make less than three meals a day, and over half of them said that they sold or exchanged personal goods to buy food. 
  • 7 out of 10 professors have other jobs to survive. 30% said that the total family income doesn’t surpass $10. 

• Primero Justicia leaders Carlos Ocariz and Andrés Schloeter “Chola”, ratified their intention to participate in the November elections, even though they’re still waiting for the unitary decision. Ocariz insisted that they have to “submit one candidate for governor and one candidate for each of the 21 municipalities in Miranda.” 
• Political party Acción Democrática, led by Henry Ramos Allup, backed the candidacy of current Anzoátegui governor Antonio Barreto Sira.
• CNE board member Enrique Márquez asked the institution to open an investigation against Maduro, for the unlawful use of VTV to favor the PSUV. 
• The coalition of prêt-à-porter opposition parties presented their candidacies for the November election, which caused fractures within this already small group. “
• ANC-imposed prosecutor general Tarek William Saab announced that a CICPC officer, Johann Medina Uzcátegui, had been arrested in the new wave of detentions for drug trafficking. Saab bragged about the alleged accomplishments, he said that in 2021 the government has confiscated 27 tonnes of drugs and almost 162 tonnes in the four years he’s been leading the institution. 
• Deputy and Primero Justicia secretary-general Tomás Guanipa returned to the country after two years in exile. He assured that on August 20th, his party will send “a clear message” to the country about the route to defeat Maduro and achieve freedom. 
• Agro-producers in Mérida denounced that officers at checkpoints are charging them fees to move their products: “They ask for anything (…) Respect our rights, we want to work and produce,” said of their spokesmen. 

The basic food basket was 1,126,793,499 bolivars in July, which means an increase of 21.4% compared to June, according to Cendas-FVM, or $313 at a rate of 3,600,094 bolivars per dollar, almost $59 more than in January. 

• Hidrocapital increased the prices of water supply for residential areas by 6,500 to 28,000%, but this doesn’t guarantee regular supply. 

Bogotá mayor Claudia López’s idea of creating a command for criminal structures composed of migrants was rejected by the Colombian ombudsman, for stigmatizing immigrants and promoting and legitimizing xenophobia. 

• Perú Libre congressman Guillermo Bermejo is under investigation for his ties with terrorist organizations: a witness under protection said that Bermejo received $1,000 dollars from Sendero Luminoso to come to Venezuela and make contact with the FARC. 
• The Dominican Republic bought 49% of the Dominicana de Petróleo refinery (Refidomsa) from Venezuela, for $88.1 million, retaking control of the company. According to the Dominican Finance Minister, they got it at “an advantageous price.” Advantageous indeed, since PDVSA had acquired that stake in 2010 at $131 million.