HomeNewsBriefVenezuela Presidential Candidates Promise Action on Security
BRIEF

Venezuela Presidential Candidates Promise Action on Security

VENEZUELA / 2 APR 2013 BY MARGUERITE CAWLEY EN

Venezuela's interim president and socialist party presidential candidate Nicolas Maduro has blamed the country's crime and violence problems on capitalism, and his rival Henrique Capriles led a march calling for improved security, as the country's security issues increasingly come to the fore in the presidential campaign.

United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) candidate Maduro echoed his predecessor, the recently deceased Hugo Chavez, in blaming the country's endemic violence on the "legacy of capitalism," and pledged to create a Venezuela, "without violence, without crime," if elected April 14.

Maduro also stated that a new disarmament plan will soon be approved, and that various armed groups have responded to calls by his government to lay down their weapons, reported Pagina 12

Meanwhile, opposition leader Capriles led a political march in Caracas and 17 Venezuelan states, demanding security and an end to violence.

On April 1, Interior and Justice Minister Nestor Reverol announced that 3,400 homicides have occurred in Venezuela since January 1, with 545 occurring in Miranda state, where Capriles is currently governor.

InSight Crime Analysis

The fact that both candidates are openly discussing Venezuela's security problems marks a significant change in the country's political discourse. While the homicide rate has dramatically risen since Chavez came to power in 1998, the problem was rarely directly addressed by the Chavez administration. In the past, even Chavez's opponents have been reluctant to make it a primary focus.

For his part, Chavez was so agile politically, that he could sidestep or blame it on someone else. Maduro, who is expected to win the upcoming elections handily, does not have the same agility or charisma as his predecessor, and he may find that blaming capitalism will be a short-term solution. 

share icon icon icon

Was this content helpful?

We want to sustain Latin America’s largest organized crime database, but in order to do so, we need resources.

DONATE

What are your thoughts? Click here to send InSight Crime your comments.

We encourage readers to copy and distribute our work for non-commercial purposes, with attribution to InSight Crime in the byline and links to the original at both the top and bottom of the article. Check the Creative Commons website for more details of how to share our work, and please send us an email if you use an article.

Tags

Was this content helpful?

We want to sustain Latin America’s largest organized crime database, but in order to do so, we need resources.

DONATE

Related Content

COSTA RICA / 2 FEB 2023

Countries across Latin America continue to make stubbornly little progress in the fight against corruption.

CARTEL OF THE SUNS / 2 MAY 2022

In October 2021, the Venezuelan Ministry of the Interior issued an ordinary looking statement about an antinarcotics operation in the…

PERU / 6 DEC 2022

Peru is taking steps to tackle the threat of Venezuelan mega-gang Tren de Aragua, and have recently captured 30 members…

About InSight Crime

THE ORGANIZATION

Venezuela Coverage Continues to be Highlighted

3 MAR 2023

This week, InSight Crime co-director Jeremy McDermott was the featured guest on the Americas Quarterly podcast, where he provided an expert overview of the changing dynamics…

THE ORGANIZATION

Venezuela's Organized Crime Top 10 Attracts Attention

24 FEB 2023

Last week, InSight Crime published its ranking of Venezuela’s ten organized crime groups to accompany the launch of the Venezuela Organized Crime Observatory. Read…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime on El País Podcast

10 FEB 2023

This week, InSight Crime co-founder, Jeremy McDermott, was among experts featured in an El País podcast on the progress of Colombia’s nascent peace process.

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime Interviewed by Associated Press

3 FEB 2023

This week, InSight Crime’s Co-director Jeremy McDermott was interviewed by the Associated Press on developments in Haiti as the country continues its prolonged collapse. McDermott’s words were republished around the world,…

THE ORGANIZATION

Escaping Barrio 18

27 JAN 2023

Last week, InSight Crime published an investigation charting the story of Desafío, a 28-year-old Barrio 18 gang member who is desperate to escape gang life. But there’s one problem: he’s…