Caracas Chronicles

• The Constitutional Court of Cape Verde confirmed the process against Alex Saab is constitutional, meaning it’s legal to extradite him to the U.S. The court authorized the extradition of chavismo’s middleman who’s wanted by Washington. Julio Borges, the caretaker government’s commissioner for foreign affairs, said that “Saab and Maduro don’t have more legal paths to stop what’s inevitable: justice and the end of impunity.” A process against Saab for money laundering is also advancing in Colombia. After the notification of the decision, there’s a one-week deadline to deliver the inmate to the country where he’s wanted. 
• Anzoátegui governor Antonio Barreto Sira rejected the accusations against him made by the regime and the ministry obeying the orders and investigating the governor for corruption and omission: “How are they going to accuse me of corruption if we haven’t received one cent since February 2019?” Barreto Sira explained that the law establishes what each branch is responsible for, and that the “matter of canal cleaning is a 22-year-old problem, since it’s been superficial and the sediments that are blocking the water flow have been accumulating for many years,” he assured. Barreto said that all his teams are willing to work and reiterated the request for resources and the declaration of a state of emergency to solve the situation. 
• Diosdado Cabello said that Juan Guaidó, Carlos Vecchio and Julio Borges’s absence from the negotiation table in Mexico allows them to expect better results. Cabello said he hopes that the Unitary Platform won’t be “manipulated” and that they “continue to recognize” Maduro’s regime and its public branches of power with imposed authorities. He said that the next round of negotiations counts with “the utmost support of the PSUV.” He thinks that having to involve four countries to accompany the potential resolution of the problems of a country undergoing a complex humanitarian emergency is a sign of “the triumph of the Constitution” and chavismo’s power. He said that all PSUV candidacies were submitted and assured that they’ll win most of the posts. He mocked the division in the opposition. 
• Venezuela received 693,000 doses of the vaccine through COVAX. 
• WHO director promised more vaccines will be arriving in Venezuela in the fall. He thanked the regime and especially Delcy Rodríguez for “constructive dialogue.” 
• Maduro said that the new school year will begin on September 16th and that by the end of the month, Venezuela will receive the vaccines for children between three and 18 years old. 
• Mérida governor Ramón Guevara said that he hasn’t received resources to solve the severe damages caused by the rains, since they have been sent to the protector, chavismo’s illegal imposition. He said that he has reorganized the budget to invest in machinery, medical attention and food. 

Journalist and political prisoner Roland Carreño has bilateral pneumonia after he got coronavirus at the PNB cell where he’s been detained. His defense asked for a measure to release him on account of his poor health but they haven’t received an answer. 

• The Jesuit Refugee Service operating in Chile reported that during the first semester of 2021, over 23,000 people arrived to Chile illegally, 17,914 of which are Venezuelans. 
• About the agreement to ratify and defend Venezuelan sovereignty over Guyana Essequibo, NGO Control Ciudadano said that they didn’t include a technical working table that can follow up on the interior, exterior and defense policies. 
• The president of the Asociación de Institutos Educativos Privados estimates that in order to go back to in-person learning, much more complex protocols than the current 7+7 created by Maduro will be needed, including public transportation, gas supply, public utilities, adult vaccination, etc. 
• The Delegate Commission rejected Maduro’s attacks against Catholic archbishops after they denounced GNB is blocking humanitarian aid for Mérida. 
• Josep Borrell appointed Rafael Dochao as the chargé d’affaires for Venezuela after Isabel Brilhante Pedrosa was expelled by Maduro in February this year. 
• “We greet with satisfaction the efforts by both parties, in particular regarding the management of COVID-19. We also trust that the negotiations will continue, on the judicial branch and constitutional rights,” said Borrell about the process in Mexico. 
• Colombian President Iván Duque said that the only way out for the Unitary Platform and the regime is calling for free and fair presidential elections. 

Maduro denounced an alleged international conspiracy by Colombia and the U.S. to end the dialogue between his regime and the Unitary Platform.