02-2021 Latin American Economy & Business
Economy & Business Report
Ecuador’s mining industry at a crossroads
- LatinNews
Lighting the fuse on Venezuelan powder keg
Henrique Capriles Radonski, the governor of the Venezuelan state of Miranda and figurehead of the moderate opposition, called for street protests this week against the government of President Nicolás Maduro. While Capriles stressed that he was not calling violent political demonstra- tions, it risks comparison with the protests organised last February by Leopoldo López, which landed him in jail. At the time Capriles distanced himself from López saying that the timing of his protests was wrong and would not win the hearts and minds of Venezuelans. He now appears to have calculated that they could be won through their stomachs. Acute shortages of food and other basic products have led to vast queues forming outside supermarkets in Caracas and cities in other states.