Venezuela's Collapse: Rule of law and economy almost non-existent
"Tension in Venezuela is on the rise again as the opposition and the government accuse each other of trying to stage a coup. There has been a wave of anti-government protests and dozens of people have been killed in protest-related violence since April".Ìý Source: BBC News
Jose Mauricio Gaona, O'Brien Fellow, McGill Centre for Human Rights and Legal Pluralism, Faculty of Law
The country's currency, the Bolivar, has lost 99.8% of its value in 5 years, inflation rate has passed the mark of 1000%, and its foreign reserves worthÌýonly US$10 billion with an outstanding debt of US$7.2 billion. Both government and opposition have their own interpretation of the law, which has led the country to an insurmountable constitutional crises first with two Attorney-Generals, now two Supreme Courts (TSJ), andÌýsoon maybeÌýtwo National Assemblies. In truth, widespread corruption, the economic situation, and human rights violations hasÌýforced the opposition to promote a 'parallel legal structure' – including a non-official plebiscite – and a general strikeÌýto contain the Government's final attempt to move from populism to dictatorship. Ìý
Topics : International legal scholar expert in the areas of constitutional, immigration, and international law
Languages: English, French, Spanish, and Italian.
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Contact: jm.gaona [at] mail.mcgill.caÌý
