Venezuela - VE - VEN - VEN - South America

Venezuela was one of three countries that emerged from the collapse of Gran Colombia in 1830, the others being Ecuador and New Granada (Colombia). For most of the first half of the 20th century, military strongmen ruled Venezuela and promoted the oil industry while allowing some social reforms. Democratically elected governments largely held sway until 1999, but Hugo CHAVEZ, who was president from 1999 to 2013, exercised authoritarian control over other branches of government. This trend continued in 2018 when Nicolas MADURO claimed the presidency for his second term in an election boycotted by most opposition parties and widely viewed as fraudulent. The legislative elections in 2020 were also seen as fraudulent, and most opposition parties and many international actors consider the resulting National Assembly illegitimate. In 2021, many opposition parties broke a three-year election boycott and participated in mayoral and gubernatorial elections, despite flawed conditions. As a result, the opposition more than doubled its representation at the mayoral level and retained four of 23 governorships. The 2021 regional elections marked the first time since 2006 that the EU was allowed to send an electoral observation mission to Venezuela.

MADURO has placed strong restrictions on free speech and the press. Since CHAVEZ, the ruling party has expanded the state's role in the economy through expropriations of major enterprises, strict currency exchange and price controls, and over-dependence on the petroleum industry for revenues. Years of economic mismanagement left Venezuela ill-prepared to weather the global drop in oil prices in 2014, sparking an economic decline that has resulted in reduced government social spending, shortages of basic goods, and high inflation. Worsened living conditions have prompted nearly 8 million Venezuelans to emigrate, mainly settling in nearby countries. The US imposed financial sanctions on MADURO and his representatives in 2017 and on sectors of the Venezuelan economy in 2018. Limited sanctions relief followed when the MADURO administration began making democratic and electoral concessions.

The government's mismanagement and lack of investment in infrastructure has also weakened the country's energy sector. Caracas has relaxed some controls to mitigate the impact of its sustained economic crisis, such as allowing increased import flexibility for the private sector and the informal use of US dollars and other international currencies. Ongoing concerns include human rights abuses, rampant violent crime, political manipulation of the judicial and electoral systems, and corruption.

a major drug-transit country and trafficking route in the Western Hemisphere for illegal drugs mainly cocaine;  government depends on rents from narco-trafficking, along with other illicit activities, to maintain power;  evidence of coca cultivation and cocaine production in domestic drug laboratories suggests the country is now also an illicit drug-producing country;  a major source of precursor or essential chemicals used in the production of illicit narcotics

A New Era (Un Nuevo Tiempo) or UNT
Cambiemos Movimiento Ciudadano or CMC
Christian Democrats or COPEI (also known as the Social Christian Party)
Citizens Encounter or EC
Clear Accounts or CC
Coalition of parties loyal to Nicolas MADURO - Great Patriotic Pole or GPP
Coalition of opposition parties - Democratic Alliance (Alianza Democratica) (includes AD, EL CAMBIO, COPEI, CMC, and AP)
Come Venezuela (Vente Venezuela) or VV
Communist Party of Venezuela or PCV
Consenso en la Zona or Conenzo
Convergencia
Democratic Action or AD
Fatherland for All (Patria para Todos) or PPT
Fearless People's Alliance or ABP
Fuerza Vecinal or FV
Hope for Change (Esperanza por el Cambio) or EL CAMBIO
Justice First (Primero Justicia) or PJ
LAPIZ
Movement to Socialism (Movimiento al Socialismo) or MAS
Popular Will (Voluntad Popular) or VP
Progressive Advance (Avanzada Progresista) or AP
The Radical Cause or La Causa R
United Socialist Party of Venezuela or PSUV
Venezuela First (Primero Venezuela) or PV
Venezuelan Progressive Movement or MPV
Venezuela Project or PV

Venezuela’s ongoing socio-economic, political, and human rights crises have resulted in widespread poverty and food insecurity and have devastated the country’s healthcare system.  According to a 2018 national hospital survey, many hospitals were unable to provide basic services, and 20% of operating rooms and intensive care units were non-functional.  Hospitals reported shortages in water (79%), medicines (88%), and surgical supplies (79%).  The poor conditions in healthcare facilities have motivated many doctors and other health professionals to emigrate, resulting in shortages of specialists, particularly in emergency care.  The scarcity of medicines, vaccines, medical supplies, and mosquito controls is leading to a rise in infectious diseases.  Tuberculosis cases jumped by 68% between 2014 and 2017, and malaria rates had the largest rise in the world from 2016 to 2017 at 69%.  Diptheria, which had been eradicated in the country in 1999, re-emerged in 2016, and new cases have surfaced in 2023.  Infectious disease outbreaks, such as measles and malaria, have crossed into neighboring countries.  Infant mortality, which had been decreasing since the 1950s, has been on the rise since 2009.  Between 2015 and 2016, infant deaths increased 30%, while maternal mortality increased 65%.  

As of November 2023, more than 7.7 million Venezuelan migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers had been reported by host governments, with approximately 85% relocating in Latin America and the Caribbean.  Colombia has been the largest recipient, accommodating almost 2.5 million as of February 2022, followed by Peru and Ecuador.  As of June 2022, almost 212,000 of the refugees and close to 1.04 million of the asylum seekers were recognized by national authorities.  An additional 4.3 million Venezuelans have been granted residence permits or other types of regular stay arrangements, as of March 2023.  The initial wave of migrants were highly educated professionals.  These were followed by university-educated young people.  As the economy collapsed in 2017-2018, Venezuelan migrants have been less-educated and from low-income households.