On July 28, Venezuela will hold its presidential elections. The country, which has held over 30 elections in the 25
years of its Bolivarian Revolution, is accused by U.S. officials as well as mainstream media of being anti-democratic.
With this justification, for the last 10 years, the United States has levied a very restrictive and aggressive regime of
unilateral coercive measures against Venezuela’s oil and financial sectors. The impact of these measures, also known as
sanctions, resulted in Venezuela suffering a dramatic fall of over 80 percent in its GDP in 2019 and 2020.
The economic war has also been accompanied by a political destabilization campaign. Venezuela has defeated coup
attempts, attempts to assassinate President Nicolás Maduro, attacks on critical infrastructure, and violent street riots
promoted by the right wing to instill chaos.
Venezuela has managed to defend itself against these attacks and, as of 2024, has not only seen growth in its GDP for the past several years but also increased popular support for the Bolivarian Revolution.
On the sidelines of a visit to the United Nations, Venezuelan foreign minister Yván Gil Pinto sat down with movement leaders in New York City at the People’s Forum to discuss how the Venezuelan people have been able to
thwart the U.S.-backed hybrid war and the role of Venezuela on the international stage.
“The future is victory,” Gil Pinto said at the People’s Forum. “You have to build victory… President Maduro has been
resisting all types of attacks… attempts of sabotage, [and] assassination attempts against him. Today we can say that we
have defeated most of those attacks and now we’re preparing ourselves for a revolutionary offensive.”