Pressure to ease sanctions against Venezuela’s oil industry has been gaining steam within the Caribbean country’s opposition sectors as well. On Wednesday, a group of Venezuelan politicians, businessmen, economists and analysts penned a letter to the Biden administration asking to lift measures that would permit the return of Western oil firms to the Caribbean nation.

The signatories demanded the US government overcome "domestic political pressures" that have hindered recent talks with Caracas. They equally urged the Venezuelan opposition led by self-proclaimed "Interim President" Juan Guaidó to "not be held hostage by extreme positions that only prolong the painful status quo."

https://venezuelanalysis.com/news/15507

At the Luisa Cáceres Commune, self-government has become a powerful model, inspired by Chávez’s legacy. Here, the communards reflect about the challenges they face in the construction of a self-governed society, and about the communal future they are building.

https://venezuelanalysis.com/interviews/15506

In this episode of "Chávez the Radical," the Venezuelan leader reminds comrades and followers that the Venezuelan oligarchy and the US empire will never accept the Bolivarian Revolution.

WATCH 👇 https://venezuelanalysis.com/video/15501

Daniel Jadue, a former presidential candidate and leading figure in the Communist Party of Chile, highlighted the efforts by Venezuelan authorities to punish human rights violations, contrasting the lack of justice in cases of abuses by the armed forces in his native Chile.

The Chilean politician, who is also a longtime supporter of the Chávez and Maduro governments in Venezuela, highlighted recent episodes that saw Chilean state security forces appear to deliberately target the eyes of demonstrators during protests. In an exchange with Jadue, President Nicolás Maduro offered to provide surgery to those demonstrators who suffered injuries to their eyes.

https://venezuelanalysis.com/news/15509

"The Communard Union, despite its lack of red lines and despite its excessive centralism might become, one day, a revolutionary nationwide movement capable of putting a Chavismo committed to socialism."

Chris Gilbert looks at an emergent grassroots movement in Venezuela, as it attempts to build autonomous popular power in a complex relationship with the state.

https://venezuelanalysis.com/analysis/15508

Dan Beeton looks at the enduring legacy of Venezuela’s short-lived 2002 coup d’etat, and the subsequent countercoup, for US-Latin American relations.

https://venezuelanalysis.com/analysis/15510

“We think that the time has come to talk about Venezuela and as a first step Argentina wants to recover full diplomatic ties [with Caracas],” said Fernández during a joint press conference with Ecuadorian President Guillermo Lasso in Buenos Aires on Monday.

The Argentine mandatary likewise called on all Latin American and Caribbean nations to review their relations with the Nicolás Maduro government in order to “help Venezuela recover its normal functioning as a country” and to advance regional integration.

https://venezuelanalysis.com/news/15511

Venezuelan authorities have opened investigative proceedings against Raziel Rodríguez, mayor of the Zamora municipality in Miranda state.

On Thursday, the country’s National Assembly appointed a commission to investigate an incident that saw Zamora’s municipal police attempt to evict 13 campesino families on April 12, allegedly on Rodríguez’s orders, to favor a local corporation.

“May he face the full weight of the law,” deputy and Socialist Party heavyweight Diosdado Cabello said during the parliamentary session.

https://venezuelanalysis.com/news/15513

#Interview 🇻🇪 Alcadio Lemus, Monte Sinaí Commune parliamentarian: "Chávez promoted popular power. His legacy is very important to us, and that is why we are working hard to organize the commune from the grassroots. We face many challenges, but we also have the potential to build a robust commune. Here people are hardworking and nature is generous."

Small producers in a lush valley are determined to overcome the impact of the sanctions by building a commune. Read more 👇

https://venezuelanalysis.com/interviews/15512

President @NicolasMaduro said Venezuela is ready to face the impact of the US sanctions against Russia on the world's economy.

"Sanctions show that the economy is not neutral. The IMF, the World Bank, and so-called multilateral organizations are at the service of politics."

https://twitter.com/venanalysis/status/1518363600523599872

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro warned that Colombian President Iván Duque was behind a plot to sow unrest on their shared border through the targeted killing of Venezuelan security forces.

“The enemies of our homeland are constantly conspiring (...) I call on all ministers, governors and mayors to be alert to neutralize and defeat the violent plans that come from the Colombian narco-government," said Maduro.

“Anti-chavismo” has long been a key component of right-wing politics in Colombia and the bilateral relationship has been a frequent topic in the ongoing presidential race.

https://venezuelanalysis.com/news/15514

With expensive concerts and high-end stores returning to Caracas, VA columnist and Venezuelan journalist Jessica Dos Santos examines whether Venezuela is "fixed."

"In recent months there has been a raging debate among Venezuelans. Are things getting better or worse? Many will argue that the political, economic and social outlook is much better than it was from 2016 to 2020."

Full article 👇

https://venezuelanalysis.com/tales-resistance/15515

The Nicolás Maduro government announced a special emergency fund for relief and reconstruction as Venezuela suffers from torrential rainfall.

Governors from affected areas can access a renewable 10 million bolivar fund (around US $2.2 million) to rebuild houses, repair public infrastructure and provide assistance to victims.

Heavy rains across the country in recent days have caused massive flooding, especially in the western states of Zulia, Mérida, Táchira and Trujillo.

https://venezuelanalysis.com/news/15517

With 57 collectivized hectares devoted to growing sugarcane and a powerful commitment to communalizing life, Cinco Fortalezas is set to be a breeding ground for socialism.

In Part I of this interview we learn about the commune’s recent history and its various communal production enterprises. 👇

https://venezuelanalysis.com/interviews/15518

📹 On April 30, 2011, Hugo Chávez launched Venezuela’s Great Housing Mission (GMVV) to create access to housing at affordable costs for working-class families across the country.

The program has built 4 million houses and plans to reach 5 million by 2025.