Venezuela (MNN) – Venezuelans are calling for President Nicolas Maduro to step down after years of inflation and food shortages, making the country anything but livable.
Protests for Change
Vwnwzuela’s legislative branch has been able to call for a vote of no-confidence for President Maduro. But the government won’t go down that easily. Now that the call for a vote of no-confidence has been made, the government has been finding ways to halt the voting.
“At the present time, the polls are indicating that about 85 percent of the people want the president to leave. So if this referendum were held, there’s a pretty good chance that he would be forced to leave office,” Munger explains.
Now, because the vote for no-confidence is stalled, unrest is surging. Just last week there were demonstrations, violence in the streets, and even a call for a strike.
Just a few days ago the Venezuelan government and the opposition sat down to talk with observers from the Vatican and other nearby governments. Last we heard, no agreement has been reached.
Government Details
Venezuela Map
Venezuela’s current government and the president have been heavily influenced by Cuba’s politics and functions from a leftist view.
Still, the conflict between the government and its right-side opposition hasn’t been enough to keep Maduro from controlling the government and wrecking the country.
“What’s happening in Venezuela is a combination of political and economic factors that have brought the country to its knees. Venezuela is heavily dependent on the export of petroleum. It has one of the largest deposits of petroleum in the world and they’ve become very dependent upon that,” Trans World Radio’s Jim Munger explains.
“In the last year or so, the prices for petroleum worldwide have dropped considerably. So all their planning based on a certain level of income has collapsed. The economy has been struggling now for quite some time, then layered on top of that are several years of a government that has a weak opposition.”
Current Problems
Along with food shortages are also medicine shortages. Munger recalls a story when a friend’s brother, who is living Venezuela, was sick with appendicitis. It took visiting five different hospitals before the brother could find one with anesthesia in order to have surgery he needed. Sadly, this man’s story is not an uncommon one.
In fact, the shortages are so terrible that someone created an app for Venezuelans in order to find the goods they need. People will wait in line for hours, sometimes through the night, just to purchase basic items. After hours of waiting, people oftentimes come to find the goods they were looking for are out of stock.
Imagine that, going to your local grocery store to pick up a gallon of milk and maybe toilet paper. Then, you spend all day waiting only to find out these few items you desperately need are sold out.
(Venezuela via David Seaton)
How long would it take of this happening before you became fed up and said enough is enough? Venezuelans have had enough and many have been protesting in the past week, calling for a better life.
“[The protests] are partly fueled by the economic situation, but there’s also the political situation. The opposition, as the president of the country has become less popular, the opposition has gained strength,” Munger shares. “And in the last elections, they actually gained control of the legislature.”
The party in power in the Venezuelan government controls the country’s military, police, the electoral council, and the courts. The legislature, which currently is not the in power, can’t override vetos and actually has little power in comparison. All people a part of this party can do is protest.
How to Help
(Map courtesy TWR)
However, in the midst of so much uncertainty and despair, Trans World Radio is broadcasting in the area and is trying to offer Venezuelans the true bread of life, Christ.
“People start looking for answers, and that’s when the Gospel can be presented. And people, who otherwise wouldn’t listen, realize that there’s more to life than just eating and drinking and partying…people look for something deeper,” Munger says.
So if you would, please pray for God to carry out his plans for Venezuela and for many people to seek Him. Also, you can help increase the Gospel’s voice through Trans World Radio. The ministry is currently finishing up raising funds to increase the power of its transmitter in order to better reach individuals with the gospel.
Click here to donate or learn more about Trans World Radio’s transmitter upgrade in Bonaire.
