January 14, 2025
Venezuela has been able to survive hundreds of US sanctions and generate unprecedented economic change.
Caribbean delegates attending the closing forum of a new international entity established to expose and fight emerging fascist tendencies in the Latin American and Caribbean region, are calling on the United Nations (UN) to condemn the decision by a powerful member-state to issue a bounty on the head of a head-of-state of a fellow member-state.
On the same day that Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro was sworn-in for a third consecutive term (January 10, 2025) in Caracas, the U.S. State Department announced a US$25 million bounty for information leading to his “arrest”. Sanctions were also announced by Washington against Venezuela’s Defence Minister Vladimir Padrino and several others.
The Caribbean delegates said that they “don’t support the decision to issue a bounty on the head of the President of Venezuela…” Noting that Venezuela and the US both belong to the UN, the delegates — representing mainly political parties, social movements and advocacy groups, cultural and intellectual entities across political boundaries – also said the bounty on President Maduro’s head violated the UN’s Charter.
Hundreds of Caribbean delegates were among the over-2,000 from 125 countries who attended the closing session of the 2025 World Festival of Anti-Fascist International on January 9-11, in Caracas.
Together concerned about increasing evidence of fascist thoughts and threats in the politics of governance in Latin America, they attended the closing session of the 3rd Plenary of the new global entity with supporting chapters in 77 countries. The political and social movements involved pointed to “comparative patterns that mirror similar experiences in several European nations.”
The new global grouping, based in Latin America and the Caribbean, is part of the growing response to increasing challenges facing progressive governments (and people) everywhere, from global political changes to Climate Change, to wars and threats to peace. Also cited were national elections results on both sides of the Atlantic, inspired by how governments handled responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, the resulting Supply Chain effects and the later Ukraine War.
In Europe, parties with leaders espousing fascist views and tendencies are benefitting in national elections, thanks to the difficulties created by their governments’ financing the Ukraine war, fired by growing energy crises and ever-rising prices created and fuelled by related international sanctions.
The Caribbean delegates, in a statement issued January 11, welcomed Venezuela’s “positive role” in “taking the initial steps to launch this global entity in the Caribbean and Latin America.” They also welcomed “the support of all the nations and social movements that have joined, or have indicated a will to be part of, this new global initiative.”
Like the others from all continents, the Caribbean delegates noted the “continuity of progress undertaken by Venezuela since 2013”, when Maduro assumed the presidency from his late predecessor, President Hugo Chavez. Caribbean Heads of Government, Speakers of Parliament, ambassadors and political party leaders from Caribbean Community (CARICOM) member-states witnessed President Maduro’s inauguration.
The signatories also welcomed the ‘Seven Transformations’ the president promised in his inaugural address, to be undertaken between 2025 and 2031—his current term — to develop new social policies at community levels, consolidate popular democracy and make the economy more resilient and less-dependent on energy sales abroad.
Most having followed responses of Venezuela’s opponents at home and on the global stage before and since Chavez died and since Maduro’s arrival, the international delegates condemned what they saw as continuing efforts by fascist and extreme right-wing elements, in Venezuela and on the continent, to destabilize and undermine Maduro and the administrations he’s led over the past 11 years.
Since the July 28, 2024 presidential elections, a relentless six-month campaign was unleashed by international media and political organizations, as well as a few governments, some openly supporting, promoting and proposing violent change in Venezuela.
But with experiences from previous unchanged patterns, Maduro and Venezuela’s security forces have been able to survive the 976 sanctions imposed by the U.S. and the European Union (EU), also engaging in unreported positive economic and transformative change. The outgoing Biden Administration — just days before demitting office – reiterated that it ‘recognizes’ former opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez as ‘President of Venezuela’.
Regarding a failed plot to falsely accuse the Venezuela security forces of kidnapping de facto opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, the Caribbean delegates said they “reject the efforts by the Venezuela opposition and some former Latin American presidents, backed by US and Europe-based entities” to undermine Maduro and the PSUV.
They also noted the allegations of electoral fraud were being made against a system highly-praised by President Jimmy Carter and his Carter Centre – “and the PSUV having won 28 of the 30 national elections held since 1999.”
Anti-Fascist International aims “to bury fascism in Latin America” by exposing and opposing its growing presence in some nations, through establishment of voluntary chapters driven by social movements and backed by progressive political forces.
The Caribbean delegates noted and supported the “continuing construction of the Venezuela with Bolivarian Socialist Characteristics that President Chavez envisaged and launched in 1999, by President Maduro and the PSUV between 2025 and 2031.”
The declaration was signed by Ambassador Ambrose George (Commonwealth of Dominica), Ambassador Peter Lansiquot (Saint Lucia), Hon. Peter David, M.P (Grenada), Dexter Rose (Saint Vincent & The Grenadines), David Abdulah (Trinidad & Tobago), David Denny J.P. (Barbados) and Trevor Brown (Jamaica).
Meanwhile, addressing the end of the closing ceremony in his first public address to a foreign audience following his inauguration, President Maduro indicated the region would have to quickly learn and understand the role of the Soviet Union (USSR) in defeating fascism in Europe and defending the world during World War II (1939-45).
The Venezuela president, starting his second six-year term that same day, also conferred – at the public ceremony — national awards of appreciation on all the members of the Venezuelan Armed Forces named in the latest U.S. sanctions.