Venezuela Political Situation Settles

In recent months the world has raptly watched the volatile events of Venezuelan politics unfold. The political situation began on April 11 as a coup d'état against President Hugo Chavez and culminated with violent demonstrations in the streets of Caracas among pro- and anti-Chavez groups. Now everyone wants to know,

"Is it safe to travel to Venezuela?"
The State Department has noted vast improvement in the political and security situation of Venezuela. Locals have reported that daily life for them has returned to normal. Airlines have resumed regularly scheduled flights. Lost World Adventures' primary destinations to Los Roques, Angel Falls, Los Lanos, the Orinoco Delta and the Andes Mountains are far away from the heart of the governmental institutions located in Caracas where political demonstations occurred. Overnight stays in Caracas are actually in the small town of Macuto, located 30 minutes outside of Caracas so travelers don't have to go into downtown.

The economic instability began with the controversial election of Chavez to the presidency, which created a rift between those who viewed him as a disgraced populist given to demagoguery and those who dreamed that social, political, and economic change could be brought to Venezuela under his command.

During his campaign, he promised to improve living standards by addressing economic issues and corruption. Once in power, though, Chavez failed to address the overvalued currency, the huge budget deficit, the sharply declining GDP, and the mismanagement of the third largest oil reserve in the world. Politically, he sparked controversy with his confrontational rhetoric, his overt relationships with leaders such as Fidel Castro and Saddam Hussein, and his proposal to introduce a new constitution that would increase the power of the president while weakening the legislative branch, thus creating an imbalance of power in his favor.

In the months leading up to the coup d'état, President Chavez provoked the anger of many with economic woes caused by the lack of payment of government funds to various public sectors. The loss of billions of dollars in capital due to international corporations' fears of investing in a potentially shaky country further angered Venezuelans who blame Chavez for inspiring these fears. Perhaps the most influential provocation, though, has been Chavez's fervent desire to purge military officers that oppose his regime. The intervention of the executive branch in the armed forces is potentially volatile especially in Latin America where the armed forces generally have as much power as the executive and legislative branches.

These actions on the part of Chavez have led many to question the democratic stability of Venezuela, a country known for having one of the longer-running democracies in Latin America.

Gillespie, Charles A. "Democratic Reform or Dictatorship in the Making?" http://ffip.com/venezuelareform/

"Economic woes add more instability." http://www.infoven.net/news/thursday/politics.htm