Caracas Chronicles

• Sergio Monsalve, president of the Critics Circuit of Caracas, denounced the imminent and definitive closure of the Museum of Contemporary Art of Caracas and warned that its facilities are in very poor condition and its valuable art collection is in serious risk from humidity and neglect. The few workers that still remain in the MACC, ask for help from private companies to preserve the artistic heritage that is still preserved.
  • Culture minister, Ernesto Villegas, denied that the Contemporary Art Museum (MACCSI) is shutting down. He assured that the claim just seeks to undermine the fact that UNESCO will be including another Venezuelan tradition in UNESCO’s cultural heritage list: San Juan Bautista festivities. The ministry hasn’t published the museum’s annual budget or the condition of the works of art it owns. 
  • Caracas’ public museums have been struggling for survival for a long time, as we have previously covered in this article by Tony Frangie Mawad. You can also read more about the situation of humidity in the  Museum of Contemporary Art of Caracas in this article. 

Netherlands authorities delayed Delcy Rodríguez’s trip to the International Criminal Court for “pending issues with the security authorization” of the plane she used. 

• • A spokesperson said that the country granted an exception to EU sanctions on chavista authorities “with the sole purpose of having her attend a meeting in ICC headquarters.” 
  • Delcy said that the country had violated the UN Charter, the Vienna Convention and other agreements when they blocked her delegation from traveling to The Hague to meet Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan, which she called “an illegal offense.”

• Juan Guaidó said it’s time to unite the opposition, with the goal of holding presidential elections to “get rid of Maduro.” He reiterated that the solution to the crisis starts with the National Salvation Agreement and “free and fair elections in the short term.” He thinks that what happened in Barinas proves the dictatorship is a minority (…) Maduro, you have an expiration date. Who’s the candidate for 2024, if you even make it that far?” he asked. Guaidó also said that democratic factions are ready to go back to the negotiation in Mexico because it’s necessary to achieve benefits for the Venezuelan people. He asked not to mistake the mechanism for the goal: “The goal is an agreement, guarantees, dates, a timetable, conditions. Not sitting at the table. That’s a mechanism.” 
• Oil minister, Tareck El Aissami, posted a video assuring he’s ok after he underwent surgery for a hernia. He added he never took a break from his responsibilities because he was working on his phone the whole time. 
• Flor Pujol, the IVIC virologist, said that citizens will probably need a vaccine booster in 2022. She said that immunity doesn’t disappear six months into the vaccine, just that the levels of antibodies decrease and that’s why a booster shot is being recommended. 
• The Venezuelan Episcopal Conference (CEV) published updated figures on the numbers of COVID-19 patients in the clergy between March 2022 and December 2021. 439 among 2,113 priests in the country had COVID-19, and 45 died. 
• Delcy Rodríguez said that Venezuela reached an 82.4% vaccination rate. 
• The Central Bank reported that the accumulated inflation rate is 631%. 
• The president of the Oil Chamber, Reinaldo Quintero, thinks it’s unlikely that the oil production goals are met this year: “We won’t reach one million barrels, but we’re not that far off.” 
• UCAB dean Ronald Balza said that dollarization needs the Executive’s authorization for developing the financial system: “Receiving more than deposits, allowing mobility between banks, access to loans in dollars to invest.” He recommended developing a multicurrency system. 
• Carlos Fernández, president of FEDECÁMARAS, assured that the private sector will grow by seven points in 2022, and explained that this improvement will be thanks to food, medicine and hygiene products, far from the country’s productive capacity. He emphasized that despite not having public policies that stimulate growth in the private sector, it was this sector that stopped the drop during the last eight consecutive years of contraction. 
• Active and retired CANTV workers protested for better wages, medical services and benefits. Union leader José Padrón said that several workers have died because they don’t have insurance. 
• The secretary-general of the National Journalists Guild Edgar Cárdenas reported there had been 251 attacks on journalists and media outlets in 2021. 
• Doctors, nurses and other workers of the Materno Infantil de El Valle Hospital protested demanding they get paid their wages, Christmas bonuses and other benefits. 
• The Public Ministry ordered processing, investigating and sanctioning those who charge for providing medical care to patients in public hospitals. 
• 32 environmentalists have been murdered between 2013 and 2021, said ODEVIDA, 21 have been murdered by illegal miners’ sicarios and 11 by FANB officers. ODEVIDA has registered 80 cases of activists that have been victims of violence and repression. 

Only six vehicles were assembled in Venezuela in 2021. 

• The National Electoral Council reported that physical electoral logbooks for the Barinas election were audited with PSUV, ORA, MUD, MAS, APC, PPT and UPV representatives.
• Spanish Foreign minister José Manuel Albares thinks the EU must make a bigger effort to keep the negotiation between the regime and the opposition going so “we can finally see democracy succeed in Venezuela,” he said.  The EU will review the first analysis made by the EOM while they wait for their final report. 
•  Aruba extended its prohibition on all types of flights from Venezuela until March 2022. 
• U.S. Press secretary Jen Psaki emphasized on Monday that President Biden “fully intends to run for reelection” in 2024.