The remote origin of the protests
The situation in Venezuela is not new. Since 2014, the country has experienced cyclical street protests and violent clashes between law enforcement and opposition demonstrators. The circumstances are diverse: on the one hand, an opposition that considers Maduro's electoral base weaker than Chávez's, and observes a window of opportunity; on the other, the perennial and intensified economic crisis of the country.
Venezuela faces numerous problems. The most graphic, the shortage: the state maintains a system of price regulation and distribution that places the value of the products below the market price. Virtually, the vast demand causes that they exhaust themselves with voracity, which causes that they disappear of the shelves. Thus, a fertile black market has flourished, encouraged by the trend, where thousands of Venezuelans come for oil or chocolate.
To the shortage, inflation must be combined: that of Venezuela is the highest in the world and causes that, in a country that depends on imported goods, lower incomes have serious problems to access goods of any kind. In addition, the recent drop in oil prices, which weakened local finances and insecurity (Venezuela is one of the most violent countries in the world) draw a rather hopeless picture for many Venezuelans.
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