Caracas Chronicles

• The prosecutor general imposed by the extinct ANC, Tarek William Saab, ratified the request for the extradition of former DGCIM director Hugo “El Pollo” Carvajal, who’s under arrest in Spain, in addition to his alleged ties to military officers who are already detained. He said that Carvajal was part of the “Operación Constitución,” which would execute several high-ranking chavistas, Maduro included. He said that 17 people were involved, but they’ve only arrested 11, including Colonel Oswaldo García Palomo, whose family has denounced his human rights have been violated. According to Saab, Carvajal’s involvement in the conspiracy was confirmed by Ovidio Carrasco, who pleaded guilty and has been sentenced to 14 years in jail. In Spain, Carvajal awaits likely extradition to the U.S. 
• The Cape Verdean Constitutional Court rejected the request to accelerate the decision of the court made by Alex Saab’s defense, regarding his extradition to the U.S. 
• Maduro mentioned Saab on TV for the first time yesterday. He admitted he was in charge of the CLAP program (that was denied by Saab himself in 2017 when he also said that he didn’t know Maduro) and said that Saab had been “kidnapped and tortured in Cape Verde. 
  • Among other lies, he said that all components of the CLAP boxes are made in Venezuela. Mariah rice, which was on the most recent boxes, is imported from Brazil. So are the oil made from soy, by a brand called Sinhá, Uniao sugar and the Vitoriosa flour. The Oba Makarna pasta is from Turkey. 

• Foreign minister Félix Plasencia said that his boss is willing to meet with Putin anytime, since “they’re good friends, good allies.” He also said that the relationship they have is “advantageous” for the world. 

Alleged Miranda governor candidate David Uzcátegui asked for respect for the surveys and that he be made the candidate. 

• CNE board member Roberto Picón considers other attempts of negotiation between the opposition and the government have failed because the parties didn’t have to pay a price for leaving the negotiation table. That’s why he thinks it’s the citizens’ responsibility to pressure them to keep negotiating. 
• Vente Venezuela requested the European Parliament to pressure the EU to know the results of the exploratory mission that visited Venezuela two months ago, reiterating their concern for the deployment of an electoral mission, despite the lack of technical, political and logistical conditions in Venezuela. 
• The Venezuelan Communist Party denounced that the CNE is forcing them to change candidacies because of their alleged candidates being barred from running for office, which isn’t even shown in the system. Because of this new measure, three of their candidates couldn’t run. 
• Despite it’s still September, Maduro said that November and December will be “flexible months.” He said it’s because he wants to have “happy holidays.” Meanwhile, the number of cases in private and public hospitals has increased. 
• During an inspection at the Liceo José Ávalos in El Valle, Delcy Rodríguez assured that 81% of teachers are “fully vaccinated” and that they’re only waiting for more doses of the vaccine to vaccinate children and teenagers. 
  • The vice president can’t prove this vaccination rate and that, on Thursday, several vaccination centers had to be shut down because the Sputnik V doses didn’t arrive. 

• The UCV’s Sindicato Nacional de la Asociación de Profesionales Universitarios en Funciones Administrativas y Técnicas said they won’t comply with the decision to restart in person activities because “there are no minimal infrastructure, biosafety, vaccination, transportation, social security or salary conditions.” 

The second round of dialogue between the regime and the Unitary Platform starts on Friday in Mexico City. Gerardo Blyde said that this session will be focusing on the complex matter of the justice system, as the recent Fact-Finding Mission report proved. 

• Cardinal Jorge Urosa Savino, the archbishop of Caracas, died on Thursday after he had been in the hospital for a month because of COVID-19. He was a man who was truly committed to the democratic cause and human rights, one of the reasons why he was treated ad Hugo Chávez and his successors’ “political adversaries.” 
• The Peruvian opposition demanded foreign minister Óscar Maúrtua to attend a hearing, so he can provide an explanation for the “meeting that wasn’t in the agenda” that Peruvian president Pedro Castillo held with Maduro in Mexico on Saturday, which hadn’t been reported until prime minister Guido Bellido talked about it on Monday.
• Admiral Craig Faller, chief of the U.S. Southern Command, said in Brazil that Maduro’s regime has ties with drug trafficking: “Venezuela is a safe refuge for drug trafficking and they stimulate it,” said Faller.