Venezuelan National Assembly
Chair: Gina Cuba
PO/ Vice Chair: Bea Cundiff
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Table of Contents
3. Letter from Chair
4. Members of Committee
14. Committee Background
14. Topic A: Diversification of the Economy
17. Topic B: The Kidnapping Crisis
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Letter from the chair
Esteemed deputies of the Venezuelan National Assembly,
It is my absolute pleasure to welcome you to LYMUN III, a conference nonpareil in our
use of diplomacy, debate, and strategy. As a reminder, this is a learning conference, meaning
everyone is expected to leave a better delegate then they came. This will be an easily
accomplished task in this assembly. Each delegate will be speaking at least once between the two
committee sessions, so come prepared. In this committee, delegates will be expected to be
utilizing diplomatic skills in every aspect of committee, along with using speaking, writing, and
negotiation skills in order to further each delegates agenda. Delegates will further be expected to
know and act on their own policies.
In the Venezuelan National Assembly, delegates are expected to come equipped with a
familiarity of the two major political parties in Venezuelan politics-- Partido Socialista Unido de
Venezuela (PSUV) and Mesa de la Unidad Democr​ática (MUD)-- and an in depth understanding
of both topics, along with a multitude of possible solutions. If each delegate comes fully
prepared with the aforementioned, committee will be a fun and all around pleasant experience
for all involved.
In this committee, there will be two topics -- diversification of the economy and the
current spike in kidnappings. While I am hoping we will have the opportunity to get to both, it is
ultimately up to you in determining whether this session of the assembly will be focusing on the
economic, moral, or social climate in Venezuela, or perhaps a combination of all three. Either
way, I am excited to see what direction you all go and the solutions you come up with.
I look forward to a phenomenal and productive conference and wish you the very best of
luck in every aspect of this exciting committee. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to
email me at ​[email protected]​.
Remember to have fun,
Gina Cuba
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Venezuelan Assembly Position List
1. Abreu Jesús Antonio --​ a member of MUD, Abreu has a PHD in petroleum economics. In
1974, he left politics to devote himself to the arts. Now, however, Abreu serves as one of
the deputies on the Venezuelan national assembly, keeping a primary focus on the
economic crisis.
2. Alemán Pérez Hernán Claret --​ a member of MUD, Claret also serves on the Standing
Committee on National Security and Defence. For a time, Claret held the position of
President-Founder of the Foundation for Comprehensive Care of Children and Women in
his municipality.
3. Armas Cuartín Armando -​- a member of MUD, Armas also serves as the vice president of
the Standing Committee of National Security and Defence. Armas is a lawyer, university
professor and social/ political activist in Venezuela. Armas is a founding member of the
Popular Will party.
4. Álvarez Gil Ángel Luis --​ a member of MUD, Álvarez also serves in the Permanent
Commission of Science, Technology and Innovation. In the assembly, Álvarez advocates
for progress in all aspects of Venezuelan society.
5. Arteaga Blakma Richard Eloy -- ​a member of MUD, Arteaga also serves on the Standing
Committee on Comptrollership. He also advocates for the political ideals of the party
Primero Justicia.
6. Alcalá Arellán Robert José --​ a member of MUD, Alcalá also serves on the Standing
Committee on Comptrollership. Alcalá is a part of the sub political group La Causa
Radical, and pushes mainly for this sub- party.
7. Antonio María Barreto Sira --​ a member of MUD, Antonio also serves on the Permanent
Commission of Energy and Petroleum. Antonio has a long experience in electoral
conflicts, and often points out corrupt within the Venezuelan political system, whilst
many believe him to use corruption to his own advantage.
8. Arellano Gaby Andreina --​ a member of MUD, Arellano is an advocate of mixing media
and politics. Serving on Standing Committee of People's Power and the Media, Arellano
constantly advocates for media campaigns and outreach with the public. He is also a well
known figure when it comes to citizens personal freedoms.
9. Barboza Gutierrez Omar Enrique --​ a member of MUD, Barboza also serves on the
Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Development. Throughout the course of
the economic crisis currently underway in Venezuela, Barboza has advocated for
diversifying Venezuela’s oil centric economy, and moving towards a societal focus in the
renewable resource field.
10. Belisario Socorro Amelia Geraldine --​ a member of MUD, Belisario has long fought for
legal equality for all citizens, while still strongly opposing socialist agendas. Belisario
also serves on the Permanent Commission for Culture and Recreation, yet being a
member of the minority party of the commission, Belisario has often expressed her
frustration at not being able to effectively further MUD’s cultural agendas.
11. Bolivar Parra Tobias Rafael --​ a member of the MUD party, Bolivar also serves on the
Standing Committee on Administration and Services. Bolivar has been elected to the
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National Assembly thrice. He holds a degree in Business Administration, and often
expresses that the Venezuelan government should work as a collective unit in order to fix
the economic crisis.
12. Bracho Parra Nora Cecilia --​ a member of the MUD party, Bracho also serves on the
Standing Committee on Domestic Policy, and feel’s that the internal issues facing the
Venezuelan public should be dealt with first and foremost. Bracho was a huge advocate
for the implementation of a system similar to the Zebra system, yet Bracho ment for the
use of the Zebra system to be used on the ballad's of elections, not the seats themselves.
13. Barrientos Vicuña William Ramón -- ​a member of the MUD party, Barrientos also serves
on the Permanent Commission on Integral Social Development, working to ensure the
Nation Assembly’s work stays up to date with the social development of the Venezuelan
public. Barrientos is the former vice president of Citizen Participation party. A main
concern of Barrientos is accurate execution of the Venezuelan people’s will by the
government.
14. Berrizbeitia Giliberti Carlos Eduardo --​ a member of the MUD party, Berrizbeitia also
serves on the Permanent Accounts Committee. Berrizbeitia has pushed time and time
again for the National Assembly to take a firm stance of the economic crisis currently
gripping Venezuela. He graduated with a graduate degree in Industrial Relations.
Berrizbeitia also served on the National Assembly in its previous term. He is also a
member of Standing Committee on Science, Technology and Innovation.
15. Borges Junyent Julio Andreés -- ​Head of the Parliamentary Faction of the MUD party,
Borges also serves on the Standing Committee on Defence and Security. A politician and
Venezuelan lawyer, Borges is the founder of the Party ​Primero Justi​ce and has been a
deputy​ to the ​National Assembly of Venezuela​ during the periods of 2000- 2005,
2010-2015 and ​2016-2021​. Borges is further known for having worked on the channel
RCTV​ , the television program ​Justice for All.
16. Brito Rodríguez José Dionisio --​ a member of the MUD party, Brito also serves on the
Permanent Commission of Energy and Petroleum. He represents the political party
Primero Justicia. A major concern of Brito is ensuring that Venezuelans working for the
Petroleum industry continue to be apart of the Venezuelan work force during solutions
being enacted for the economic crisis.
17. Barrios Slother Marialbert Juliana --​ a member of MUD, Barrios also serves on the
Standing Committee of People's Power and the Media. She is the youngest woman to be
elected a deputy in the history of Venezuelan government at twenty- five years old. In
college, Barrios served as the student representative candidate before the Faculty Council
of the Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences. Barrios is a progressive, grassroots
political leader who has been a constant advocate for diversifying the Venezuelan
economy, and ensuring that the majority of the Venezuelan people’s will is represented in
government.
18. Blanco Cabrera Richard José --​ a member of MUD, and further serves on the Standing
Committee on Religious Affairs and the Penitentiary System. Blanco has often spoken up
for Venezuela completely moving away from socialism, and towards more democratic
ideals and practices in government. Blanco is extremely dedicated to ensuring
Venezuelan prisoners have rights, and every Venezuelan has the right to a just trial.
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19. Cabello Rondon Diosdado --​ a member of the PSUV, Cabello is not in any committees
of the National Assembly. Cabello was involved in ​Hugo Chávez​’s return to power after
the ​2002 coup d'état​. He became a leading member of Chavez’s ​Movimiento V República
party, and remains a leading member of the PSUV party (which merged together in
2007). He is a former president of the National Assembly, and now works to help repair
the Venezuelan economy.
20. Campos Rodríguez Teodoro Felipe --​ a member of MUD, Campos also serves on the
Standing Committee on Domestic Policy. Campos is also the Secretary of Government of
Lara state, as well as the former director of the Police Lara. He has admitted to having
been one of the many who plotted and participated in the coups of 1992.
21. Chávez Jiménez Asdrúbal José --​ an active member of the PSUV party, Chávez is not
currently serving on any branch committee of the National Assembly. Chávez has
consistently pushed for socialist solutions, and is firmly against the use of the Zebra
system.
22. Calzadilla Peraza Jose Simon --​ a member of MUD, Calzadilla also serves on the
Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Development. She is a member of the
Patria Para Todos party, and has taken part in some of the trials directly against her
fellow deputies who subscribe to the PSUV party ideals. Calzadilla believes that in order
to solve the economic crisis, sacrifices to the Venezuelan petroleum industry must be
made.
23. Chavez Melendez Julio Rafael --​ a member of the PSUV party, Chavez serves on no
branch committees of the National Assembly. Chavez served in the Venezuelan military
for ten years before becoming a major politician, and now works to try to move
Venezuela back towards traditional socialist ideals. During the current economic crisis,
Chaves has stated that the crisis would not be occurring without the government giving
the market so much freedom.
24. Contreras Diaz Eustoquio --​ a member of the PSUV party, Contreras is currently serving
on no branch committees of the National Assembly. He was deputy foreign minister of
the Republic in 2004 and has previously served as a deputy of the National Assembly
between 2005 and 2010. In June 2005 he was appointed by President Hugo Chavez as
principal conductor of the Executive Board Development Bank economic and Social
Venezuela. With the current economic crisis, Contreras has been know to defend the
current state of the economy.
25. Camejo Espinoza Andres Eloy -- ​a member of MUD, Camejo also serves on the
Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Development. Between 2010 and 2015 he
was deputy deputy, and secretary of Democratic Action in Barinas. Camejo feel’s the
main issue with the current Venezuelan economy is the lack of diversity.
26. Carvajal Barrios Hugo Armando -- ​a member of the PSUV party, Carvajal is currently
serving on no branch committees of the National Assembly. He was the head of the
Military Intelligence in Venezuela​ during ​Hugo Chávez​'s government, from 2004 to
2011. Carvajal pushes for socialist solutions and ideals.
27. Clark Boscán Victor José --​ a member of the PSUV party, Clark is currently serving on
no branch committees of the National Assembly. However, Clark serves as the deputy
Minister for Youth and Sport, Vice Agitation, Propaganda and Communication
representative of PSUV and a member of the National Executive of the party. He is a
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former president of the National Assembly, and he takes issue with the current handling
(or lack thereof) of the economic crisis.
28. D’elia Briceño Adriana María -- ​a member of the MUD party, D’elia also serves on the
Standing Committee on Administration and Services. As an openly gay member of the
National Assembly, D’elia is outspoken on social matters and fair employment
opportunities for all Venezuelans. As she has faced discrimination herself, she is a strong
supporter of the Zebra system.
29. Díaz González Tania Valentina --​ a member of the PSUV party, Díaz is currently serving
on no branch committees of the National Assembly. However, she formerly served as
Chairman of the Standing Committee of People's Power and the Media. Díaz has been
accused of having committed acts of corruption. According to multiple new outlets, Díaz
belongs to the "Group of the Vampires", a number of people linked to Vice President
Jorge Arreaza. The “Group of the Vampires” are called thieves, who work solely to boost
the head thief to the top of the food change. It is imperative to the political success of
Díaz that whatever solutions she backs will work in the long term.
30. Dávila Barrios Williams Daniel --​ a member of the MUD party, Dávila also serves on the
Standing Committee on Foreign Policy Sovereignty and Integration. He is a member of
the sub political party ​Democratic Action​, and is also the coordinator of the National
Decentralization Commission of the ​MUD​ party.
31. Delgado Lugo Nora Josefina --​ a member of the PSUV party, Delgado is currently
serving on no branch committees of the National Assembly. She works as an engineer,
and takes a primary focus on the current economic crisis gripping Venezuela.
32. Díaz García Elimar Carolina --​ a member of the MUD party, Díaz further serves on the
Standing Committee on Administration and Services. Díaz rose to political positions of
power during a time when the ratio of men to women in Venezuelan government was
around 5:1. Now in power, Díaz works t0 ensure that all women and minorities have
equal opportunities in government, and has been a constant supporter of the Zebra
system.
33. España Márquez José Antonio --​ a member of the MUD party, España currently serves
on Permanent Commission on Indigenous Peoples. For quite some time, España has been
fighting for social rights of all people in Venezuela. España calls for the creation of jobs
and prevention of economic collapse while also insisting that the National Assembly
stays within the constitutional limits set by the Venezuelan constitution.
34. El Troudi Douwara Haiman --​ a member of the PSUV political party, El Troudi is not
currently serving on any branch committees of the Venezuelan National Assembly.
However, he formerly serves as the Minister of Popular Power for Land Transport and
Public Works. Former Representative of Venezuela to the Ministerial Council of the
OPEC Fund for International Development, Governor to the World Bank Principal and
Alternate Governor to the Inter-American Development Bank; Secretary of the National
Maisanta Command during the 2004 presidential referendum. Now, he works to push for
socialist solutions to the current economic crisis and fight for the zebra system to be
reformed to be used on the ballads instead of seats.
35. Fernández Solórzano Dennis Yuramis -- ​Fernández is one of the three independents who
currently serve on the Venezuelan National Assembly. She also serves on the Standing
Committee on Domestic Policy, focusing mainly on the current economic crisis.
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36. Ferrer German Dar​io -- a member of the PSUV party, Ferrer currently serves on no
branch committees of the Venezuelan National Assembly. While a member of the
minority party in the National Assembly, Ferrer has been known to work closely with
members of MUD and the independants, being known for being generally agreeable.
37. Guzmán Reverón Rafael David --​ a member of MUD, Guzmán further serves on the
Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Development. He represents the political
party Primero Justicia and formerly served on the Permanent Finance Committee.
Guzmán pushes for economic diversification, as he believe it is the only way to protect
the Venezuelan economy in the long term.
38. Gómez Flores Laidy Yorveys --​ a member of the MUD party, Gómez further serves on
the Standing Committee on Domestic Policy. Gómez has been consistently backed by the
political party Social Cristiano in past elections, and currently continues to keep in there
good graces by pushing for solutions that are favorable to the party.
39. Graterol Roque Gregorio Segundo --​ a member of MUD, Graterol further serves on the
Standing Committee on Administration and Services. He was active in the political party
Copei, however, today he claims to be independent of any sub political party. While
claiming his lack of ties to sub political parties gives him the unique ability to push
unbiasedly for whatever favor he see’s best fits the problem at hand, Graterol has been
known to actively oppose any solutions carrying traces of socialism.
40. Gudiño Paradas Yolmar Jose --​ a member of the PSUV party, Gudiño is currently serving
on no branch committee of the National Assembly. He is the former coordinator of the
Ribas Mission in Trujillo where he coordinated the process of housing construction in
isolated plots, through construction brigades formed from his educational program. The
citizens-- specifically the youth-- of Venezuela, are his main concern. Representing them
properly is the platform on which he builds his campaigns.
41. González Montaño Iván Stalin --​ a member of the MUD party, González further serves
on the Standing Committee on Administration and Services. However, he is a former
member of the Standing Committee on Defence and Security. González participated in
the drafting of the Law on Alternative and Community Media. González is head of the
sub political party Un Nuevo Tiempo.
42. Guanipa Villalobos Tomás Ignacio -- ​a member of the MUD party, Guanipa further
serves on the Permanent Commission of People's Power and the Media. Brother to
Councilman Maracaibo and Coordinator of Primero Justicia in Zulia state, John Paul
Guanipa. His first steps in politics were in Christian social party COPEI, and Guanipa
later founded the coordination of Primero Justicia in Zulia, and in 2004 went on to shape
the national board of the party. Guanipa still tries to incorporate ‘Christian Values’ into
his solutions.
43. Guédez De Riera Maribel Teresa --​ a member of the MUD party, Guédez further serves
on the Permanent Commission on Foreign Policy Sovereignty and Integration. She is also
the executive secretary of the Democratic Unity Roundtable in the region ​Barinas​.
Guédez is one of the appointmented deputies that represents the National Assembly
before the Latin American Parliament.
44. González Salinas Carlos Andres --​ a member of MUD, González further serves on the
Standing Committee on Environment, Natural Resources and Climate Change. He is also
the secretary of the political party Democratic Action in Trujillo state. González built his
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platform on standing for ‘One Free Venezuela’. In the past, González has stood for
whatever solution is most popular with the Venezuelan people, and continues to.
45. Guerra Brito José Ángel --​ a member of MUD, Guerra further serves on the Standing
Committee on Finance and Economic Development. He is a well known economist, and
has received multiple degrees in finance and economics from Venezuelan and American
Universities, such as the Central University of Venezuela (UCV), the University of
Colorado, and the University of Illinois. He was manager of economic research at the
Central Bank of Venezuela and a professor at the School of Economics at the UCV. In
recent years he has criticized the government's economic management, as he believes that
for years the economy has not worked smoothly because the parallel dollar was injected
dollars and bolivars, which continually worsened the national crisis.
46. Guevara Cortéz Freddy Alejandro --​ a member of MUD, Guevara further serves on the
Standing Committee on Domestic Policy. He is also the active chairman of the Standing
Committee of the Comptroller. He was first elected in 2008, and is one the founding
members and national coordinator for the sub political party People's Will. He became
known in Venezuela in 2007 for his involvement in the student movement, which was a
part of the campaign against the constitutional reform postulated by the former President,
Hugo Chavez. He is the former chairman of the Committee on Citizen Security and
Human Rights. Guevara’s primary concern is the government properly representing the
will of the Venezuelan public.
47. Heredia Bolaño Amado Antonio --​ a member of the PSUV party, Heredia is currently
serving on no branch committee of the National Assembly. He currently represents the
sub political party Great Patriotic Pole. Heredia pushes for solutions he believes will fix
the economic status of Venezuela that involve the government taking complete control of
the market. People have called him communistic, accusing him of vastly misrepresenting
socialist ideals. He is, at this point, nearly completely discredited among Venezuelan
socialists.
48. Jabour Tannous Yuli --​ ​a member of the PSUV socialist political party, Jabour is
currently serving on no branch committee of the National Assembly. Jabour is the former
chairman of the Standing Committee on Foreign Policy, and he was the chairman for
Sovereignty and Integration. He represents the Communist Party of Venezuela (PCV).
The communist ideals represent a very small section of the Venezuelan public's preferred
government, and Jabour has recently began conceding to less radical left winged
solutions.
49. Lerin Simon Mariana Dayan --​ a member of the PSUV party, Lerin is currently serving
on no branch committee of the National Assembly. She is the former president president
of the Ministry of Community Development of the Government of the region of
Portuguesa. Lerin is an active part of the community of Portuguesa, and often participates
in charity events. As such, Lerin attempts to represent the will of the Venezuelan public.
While she classifies herself as a socialist, she has been known to back MUD solutions
when the majority of the Venezuelan people voice support for them.
50. Lozano Uzeche Olivia Yaneth --​ a member of the MUD party, Lozano is currently
serving on the Permanent Commission of People's Power and the Media of the National
Assembly. Lozano is the head coordinator and is responsible for the sub political party
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People's Will in the Bolivar region. Lozano is known for meticulous attention in detail in
legislation, and strives to find a sustainable, long term, economic fix.
51. Lobo Moreno Ramon Augusto -- ​a member of the PSUV party, Lobo is currently serving
on no branch committee of the National Assembly. Lobo represents the interests of the
sub political party Great Patriotic Pole, and is a former member of the branch Standing
Committee on Finance and Economic Development. Lobo is primarily concerned with
the current sorry state of the Venezuelan economy.
52. Marquina Díaz Alfonso José --​ a member of the MUD party, Marquina is currently
serving on the Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Development of the
National Assembly. Marquinas entire political career thus far has been in the Venezuelan
parliament, and he has served as a deputy of the National Assembly since 2000. In 2014,
Marquina, with other deputies, resigned Un Nuevo Tiempo and Primero Justicia joined
because the party refused to make internal elections. Marquina believes the current
structure of the Venezuelan government is unsustainable, and a major part of why the
economy is current is such a bad state.
53. Martínez Riera María Beatríz -- ​a member of the MUD party, Martínez is currently
serving on the Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Development of the
National Assembly. Martínez has a strong background in finance and the real world
experience that she feels some of her fellow deputies lack. As someone who has-- and
continues to-- work as an accountant/ lawyer for major Venezuelan companies, Martínez
backs only in depth, long term, solutions that she believes will benefit the Venezuelan
public.
54. Nuñez Gutierrez Aloha Joselyn -- ​a member of the PSUV party, Nuñez is currently
serving on no branch committee of the National Assembly. Along with serving as a
deputy for Zulia in the National Assembly, Nuñez is the representative for the Latin
American Parliament. She is the former Minister for Indigenous Peoples, appointed by
President Hugo Chavez in 2012, and her position was ratified by President Nicolas
Maduro in 2013. Nuñez has also served as the executive secretary of the Guaicaipuro
Mission and Director General of the International Bureau Ministry for Indigenous
Peoples. Nuñez has stated that she feels responsible for representing the indigenous
people of Venezuela, and works to pass legislation that will benefit Native Venezuelans.
55. Perez Arriechi Willian Jose -- ​a member of the PSUV party, Perez is currently serving on
no branch committee of the National Assembly. Perez has worked in fossil fuel industry’s
for much of his life, and has cited that seeing the recent hardships facing that industry is
what inspired him to attempt to become a deputy for the National Assembly. Perez feels
that if the members of the Venezuelan government do not protect the workers in the
petroleum industry in their solutions to improve the economy, they are dooming the
country.
56. Pérez Linares Conrado Antonio --​ a member of the MUD party, Pérez further serves on
the Standing Committee on Domestic Policy branch committee of the National
Assembly. He serves as the municipal coordinator of the Primero Justicia political party
in the Trujillo region. Pérez has stated that he is a "doctor at the service of social
change.". In 2015, he worked for City Council District of Valera.
57. Paredes Fischer Melva Matucha -- ​a member of the MUD party, Paredes further serves
on the Permanent Commission of Energy and Petroleum branch committee of the
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National Assembly. She currently serves as the organizing secretary of the party ‘Un
Nuevo Tiempo’ in the aragüeña region.
58. Prat Quevedo Jose Leonardo -- ​ a member of the MUD party, Prat further serves on the
Permanent Commission of Science, Technology and Innovation branch committee of the
National Assembly. Before becoming involved in politics, Prat was a champion football
player, and many cite name recognition as the reason he was elected as deputy. However,
Prat maintains that he was elected based solely on his political abilities.
59. Ramos Allup Henry Lisandro --​ a member of the MUD party, Ramos further serves on
the Standing Committee on Administration and Services branch committee of the
National Assembly. Ramos is the Secretary General of the sub party Democratic Action,
making him the highest authority of the MUD sub political parties. Ramos has built his
political career on the idea that political leaders should stop giving private agendas any
attention and instead focus on whatever will best help the Venezuelan people. In the past,
he has expressed strong contempt and distrust towards Antonio Ledezma and his close
political allies, describing them as ‘erratic’ and ‘driven by despair’. Ramos is the current
president of the National Assembly.
60. Requesens Martínez Juan Carlos -- ​a member of the MUD party, Requesens further
serves on the Standing Committee on Integrated Social Development branch committee
of the National Assembly. Requesens is the former president of the Federation of
University Centers of the Central University of Venezuela from four years. During his
tenure he led several protests of the university community against the national
government, such as requiring budget increase for public universities and stopping of
academic activities for a summer break. Requesens activism has always been favorable to
the younger generations of Venezuela, and his political influence has thrived because of
this. Requesens has been a consistent supporter of education support, while still working
to find a solution to the economic crisis.
61. Pizarro Rodríguez Miguel Alejandro -- ​a member of the MUD party, Pizarro further
serves on the Standing Committee on Integrated Social Development branch committee
of the National Assembly as the chairman. For many years, Pizarro strongly asserted that
he was a member of sub political party Advanced Progressive. In the elections, however,
he was elected deputy for sub political party Primero Justicia, and has consistently
represented their interest. In 2009, Pizarro requested a meeting with the secretariat to
discuss the idea of an extended summer break, and it has been confirmed that seventeen
members were absent for the me​e​ting. Pizarro has also stated that he feels he has a duty
to accurately represent the Venezuelan people's best interest, even if the citizens feel the
solution will do otherwise. He has been known to lean towards a more socialist mindset,
yet he still represents himself as a member of MUD.
62. Sánchez Eulate Milagros Susana --​ a member of the MUD party, Sánchez further serves
on the Permanent Commission for Culture and Recreation branch committee of the
National Assembly. Sánchez was projected to lose to her opponent, but won due to the
established Zebra system-- established by the National Electoral Council-- in Venezuela.
Sánchez serves as the president of the Teachers Association in the Vargas region.
63. Trujillo Vera José Benilde --​ a member of the MUD party, Trujillo further serves on the
Standing Committee on Integrated Social Development branch committee of the National
Assembly. Trujillo is an active member of the Democratic Action party in his region, and
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works to spread the message of the party. Along with his political career, Trujillo is a
surgeon, and used his political status to push for a better educational system and a stricter
code of cleanliness for hospitals.
64. Vizcaino Dugarte Gerson Antonio --​ a member of the PSUV party, Vizcaino is currently
serving on the ​Standing Committee on Media ​branch committee of the National
Assembly. ​He worked for the Fund for the Socialist Agrarian Development (Fondas)
until 2010, and he has also served as director of the Frente Francisco de Miranda in
Apure and responsible for the Children of Venezuela Mission in that state. Vizcaino
believes it is the government's job to protect it’s citizens, even if social programs put a
strain on the economy.
65. Zambrano Ramírez Edgar José --​ a member of the MUD party, Trujillo is currently one
of the only members of MUD to not serve on a branch committee of the National
Assembly. However, he is the former president of the Standing Committee on Defence
and Security. He is also the former national vice president of the political party
Democratic Action. Zambrano has insisted that the only true duty of the Venezuelan
government is to protect the human rights of those who elected them.
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Background
The expressed purpose of the Venezuelan National Assembly is to bring together elected
deputies to assume the following functions: promoting citizen participation in government and
community events; creating and debating on legislation that will later be voted on by the body;
conducting studies and research to make factual, unbiased information readily available to the
Venezuelan public; reign in any unlawful activity conducted by individuals or corporations;
develop, draft, and enact agreements, resolutions, applications, and other logistical forms; to
work diligently to encourage all young venezuelans to get an education; maintaining and
building on the current educational system in place for young venezuelans; and address any and
all matters falling within the scope of the collective competence of the assembly. The Assembly
is a law making body, meaning it is the expressed duty of all deputies to draft legislation that
they believe will best lead Venezuela to a better future. Deputies later present the legislation to
the body at the plenary session of the House for the rejection or approval of their fellow deputies.
While the National Assembly acts as the legislative branch of the Venezuelan
government, one of the main issues the Venezuelan public seems to take with their National
Assembly is the current slow moving progress with enacting legislation to help the current
economic situation in Venezuela.
The Maduro government has blamed the crisis on the US and rightwing business owners,
accusing them of cutting production to sabotage the Venezuelan economy. Regardless, the fact
remains that Maduro has inherited a vicious state-run system from former President Chávez, to
which many major Venezuelan economists say he has only further damaged by adding some
mistakes of his own, increasing social programs and lowering taxes. Chávez built his popularity
on oil money and foreign debt, using both to fund consumption, while nationalising more than
1,200 private companies deemed not to be functioning in the ‘public interest’. Disastrously, in
2015 the oil price was cut by fifty percent, and Venezuela’s reckless public finances helped make
it a high-risk debtor, cutting the country’s access to international funding opportunities.
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Topic A: Diversification of the Economy
With the Venezuelan economies current reliance on petroleum, and the global shift
towards alternative energy sources, the economy appears to be in nothing short of total peril.
Furthermore, with inflation rates hitting an all- time high of 141.5%-- projected to rise even
further to 148% by mid 2017-- and Gross Domestic Product nosediving to 7.1% as of early 2016
statistics, the Venezuelan public has been startled into a mass panic over imposing taxes and the
definite lack of jobs sweeping the nation. Thus far, the slow progress has been justified with the
National Assembly wanting to carefully weigh options before attempting to enact a long term
plan, although many political scientists cite the current governmental divide as the main reason
for the slow moving action. The current president of Venezuela-- Nicolás Maduro, is a firm
member of the PSUV, and, as
president, holds the executive power in
Venezuela. However, as of 2016, the
Venezuelan National Assembly
consists mainly of MUD members.
Throughout the crisis, the Assembly
has slapped on a plethora of band- aid
solutions, the vast majority of which
have proven to be completely
ineffective, and have done little to
nothing in appeasing the public, or
moving towards a better economic
future.
In modern day Venezuela, citizens
remember the Chavez reign as the reign
of oil. The late president made the
country’s economy completely dependent on oil reserves in order to fund his social programs.
While not only the social programs themselves, but the oil based economy worked wonderful at
the time, now, they have fallen to shambles, and are currently being ‘re-evaluated’ by the current
president Maduro. While the government has been slapping on band- aid solutions, none of these
have proven to be effective, and are now only serving to frustrate citizens as they watch the
country move closer and closer to economic collapse. With the rising political unrest and the
economy on a downward spiral, it seems Venezuela is hurdling towards major economic and
political changes.
The region surrounding Venezuela has responded by doing has little as possible. All
except Argentina, which has responded by ​joining with the Maduro government to protected
Venezuela from external pressures. Recently the secretary general of the Organisation of
American States, Luis Almagro has stated that Argentina had been working behind the scenes to
obstruct an OAS assembly to discuss the economic crisis and human rights crises in Caracas,
amid reports that the two governments had done a deal involving guaranteed Venezuelan support
for Argentina’s candidate for UN secretary general. Venezuela’s other neighbours ​have been
14
accused​ of standing on the sidelines – for either economic or ideological reasons – while the
country slides into chaos. This leaves Venezuela with a very low chance of OAS bail out.
One possible next move for Venezuela is to start channeling the current non- renewable
energy Venezuela- based companies and Venezuelan workers towards the renewable energy
field-- hydro, solar, and geothermal energy being the most commonly argued for. As of June,
2016, a reported 67% of employed Venezuelans over the age of 18 work for companies dealing
in the world's most popular non- renewable energy, oil, making it a seemingly popular profession
among Venezuelans. However, the popularity is due to necessity rather than any enthusiasm for
the field. Many Venezuelan millennials are beginning to openly protest the reliance there
economy has on a field that’s not only proving to be completely unsustainable, but extremely
harmful to the environment.
A remodel of Hugo Chavez’s PDVSA program has also been considered. Rebranding
PDVSA away from the idea of the late president, and giving the program more power over
enforcing regulations in Venezuela has been suggested as a more passive suggestion, and the
idea is seemingly rooted in the spirit of letting
the economy take its course without much
direct government intervention. Members of
MUD have stated this solution would simply
be the PSUV ‘passing the responsibility for
their own mistake, and attempting to deceive
the public’. On the contrary, members of
PSUV have denounced this criticism, stating
that the aforementioned claims are actually
the MUD party passing the buck, and trying
to sway public the public opinions away from
a perfectly fine solution. However, with the
issue dragging on and becoming more and
more pressing each day, such a passive
solution has widely fallen out of favor with
many of the everyday citizens of Venezuelans.
Collaborating with outside countries to build business relationships and search for a new
main source of income for the Venezuelan public is another possible solution that has been
recently discussed among the public and political figures. This solution has historically been very
unpopular with the everyday citizens of Venezuela, and a poll conducted by the American
University shows Venezuela having only 13% of public support. However, as more and more
citizens are moving towards the MUD parties, and away from the PSUV isolationist ideology, it
has been rapidly gaining support. While no polls have recently been conducted, Venezuelan
economist Francisco Rodríguez has estimated that support for this idea has risen to have about
75% of the population's support. This solution is seemingly unrealistic with President Maduro
being so against outside influence, yet if the National Assembly could figure out a way to move
around this political stalemate, the collaborative oil industry possibilities with China alone have
the potential to begin pulling Venezuela out of it’s current mess.
A solution that is already proving its worth is community programs. In many areas of
Venezuela, communities banning together and ignoring the government has seemed to work
wonders. These community programs grow food, put together their rations and even distribute
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them, work to educate the children and keep them away from the drug cartels, and, most
prominently, reject the use of the blackmarket, nearly eradicating the use of the illegal reselling
in some communities. If this is used as the solution to the social issues arising with this economic
crisis, then the government will have to become involved in order to remove the negative parts
and have these community programs become widespread.
Questions to Consider:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Should Venezuela attempt to receive bailout money/ support from OAS?
How can the Venezuelan government lower inflation rates?
How could collaborating with other nations help the Economic crisis?
What countries should Venezuela consider turning to for help?
Will the people of Venezuela be willing to trust their government again after it has lead
their society to the brink of collapse?
Works Cited:
● Alvarez, Cesar J., and Stephanie Hanson. "Venezuela's Oil-Based Economy."​Council on
Foreign Relations. Council on Foreign Relations, 09 Feb. 2009. Web. 20 Aug. 2016.
● "Economic Diversification." ​Natural Resource Governance Institute. Natural Resource
Governance Institute, 23 Apr. 2015. Web. 20 Aug. 2016.
● Gomez, Pilar L. "National Assembly (Venezuela)." ​W. Media Foundation, 20 June 14.
Web. 18 Aug. 2016.
● Mallett-Outtrim, Ryan. "How Bad Is Venezuela's Economic
Situation?"​Venezuelanalysis.com. Venezuel Analysis, 25 Jan. 2016. Web. 20 Aug. 2016.
Additional Resources:
● ipu.org
● www.asamblea nacional
● www.poderopedia.org/ve/personas/
● Council on Foreign Relations
● CNN
16
Topic B: The Kidnapping Crisis
Since the begin of the rapid decline of the Venezuelan economy, citizens have begun to
turn to morally corrupt alternative careers. Many of today’s Venezuelans work in the black
market, reselling goods for triple the price, in drug cartels, often times on the Colombian border,
and, most prominently, in kidnapping. A surprisingly large number of Venezuelans have turned
to kidnapping as a source of income in recent years. By stalking their prey-- usually well dressed
children with a bit of meat on there bones and the tell tale sign of Venezuelan wealth: shoes.
After stalking these children for around a month,
the kidnappers will take them for a ransom, and
then either release or eliminate the children. As
this becomes more and more common, the
government is continuing to ignore the issue,
even going as far as to say that Venezuela does
not have a kidnapping problem. In the current
United Nations rankings of the countries with the
biggest kidnapping problems, Venezuela comes
in as the fifth worst country for kidnapping in the
world. This is a dramatic and very sudden change
from only three years prior, when Venezuela was
not even listed on any global kidnapping
rankings. The kidnappings are truly striking fear
into the hearts of the Venezuelan public, and
causing a societal unrest which is only serving to
make most Venezuelans even more anxious and
on edge. This kind of social instability is the last
thing Venezuela needs, and is only serving to
push the country further towards the brink of
utter destruction.
With kidnapping growing as an industry
everyday, this is quickly becoming a societal
normality. These kidnapping cartels boast of
murdering thousands of children, and are striking fear into the hearts of many families and
individual citizens. Many believe the Venezuelan police force have been paid off by or have
actually helped in finding these kidnapping cartels, and are little to no help in stopping them. The
government is refusing to seriously address this topic, or take any hard stance on it as a country.
While this is being done on the grounds of not encouraging these kind of behaviors, the vast
majority of the Venezuelan public sees it as the government ignoring another issue, and leaving
the population to fair for themselves.
One possible and popular solution is ​ the ​Three Bullet-Point Transition​, in which the
president and National Assembly will need to work together in order to strengthen the criminal
justice system. This solution does not focus on the policing issues with in Venezuela, but instead
17
looks at the flow of the justice system. The T​hree Bullet-Point Transition​ looks to dramatically
raise the probability that if one commits a crime, they will be caught, investigated, prosecuted,
convicted, jailed, and in time, either let back out into the community, or spend the rest of their
lives in prison. It will do this by enlisting the help of communities to speak up when they suspect
a member of the community of murder, and report it to the ​Judiciary of Venezuela. Then, the
Judiciary of Venezuela will take care of the suspect, instead of attempting to fix the extremely
broken policing system in Venezuela. Some worry that this type of neighbor’s reporting
neighbors will weaken Venezuelan communities, and Venezuela as a whole. On the contrary,
supporters of this movement are strongly in favor of this system because it allows Venezuelans
an opportunity to bypass the current system and the issues within it, while still ensuring their
safety and the safety of their community.
Another possible solution is for the Venezuelan government to eradicate the current
policing system in Venezuela, and simply start anew. There is truly no way to ensure that the
current system will not fall to corruption, and there is absolutely no chance that the Venezuelan
people will ever
trust the current
police system to
truly protect them
again, especially
after there has
been such a
history of
corruption, greed,
and violence. A
new police system
would be run by
the​ ​Judiciary of
Venezuela and the
National
Assembly to
attempt to insure
no corruption.
Each possible
police officer
would have to
undergo a rigorous questioning process about their intentions on joining the police force and why
they want to work for the justice system. Every police officer would also be required to wear a
body camera at all times when there uniform is on and they are serving. There would also be one
day every week where officers are on call. This would attempt to eliminate the possibility of
officers using their free time to conduct under the table unethical deals with criminals. Those in
support of this solution say that a complete overhaul is the only way to truly gain back public
support and trust, while those in opposition to the new system crisie the cost and complex
execution of this plan.
Another possible solution would be to declare a war on kidnapping. This would involve
increased sentences and involve the Venezuelan government asking the police to crack down on
18
kidnapping. This solution is popular among the PSUV party, however, most MUD members
recognize it as being a rather passive solution, and with the pressing need to fix this issue, are not
in favor of it.
Questions to Consider:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Why has kidnapping become so popular in recent years?
Who is conducting the kidnappings?
How has the police corruption affected the kidnapping rates rising?
Why is the Venezuelan government truly refusing to take a firm stance against the issue
of widespread kidnapping?
5. What can be put in place of kidnapping as an economic replacement, and what kind of
jobs will these kidnappers turn to next?
Works Cited:
● "How to Cut the Murder Rate in Half by 2016 | Caracas Chronicles." ​Caracas
Chronicles. N.p., 04 Feb. 2011. Web. 31 Aug. 2016.
● Perlberg, Steven. "The 20 Countries Where People Get Kidnapped The Most." ​Business
Insider. Business Insider, Inc, 12 Dec. 2013. Web. 31 Aug. 2016.
● https://www.osac.gov/pages/ContentReportDetails.aspx?cid=19065
● "Judiciary of Venezuela." Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 31 Aug. 2016.
Additional Resources:
● ipu.org
● www.asamblea nacional
● www.poderopedia.org/ve/personas/
● Council on Foreign Relations
● CNN
19