. . . . . . . . "President Nicolas Maduro"@en . . . "The Romanian writer Emil Cioran once wrote, \u2018Only those are happy who never think.\u2019 I think Venezuelans are trying to not think too much about how poor they have become. They\u2019re too busy queuing and trying to make ends meet."@en . . "Asdr\u00FAbal Oliveros, economist"@en . . . . . . . . "Economic policy of the Nicol\u00E1s Maduro administration"@en . . "I have immediately ordered the occupation of the network and bring products to sell people a fair price. Leave nothing on the shelves!"@en . . . . "It is impossible to understand why the government is not reacting to this reality, why it has not taken measures to alleviate the economic distortions that are destroying the real income of Venezuelans."@en . . . "108540"^^ . . . . . . . . . "300"^^ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . "When elected in 2013, Nicol\u00E1s Maduro continued the majority of existing economic policies of his predecessor Hugo Ch\u00E1vez. When entering the presidency, President Maduro's Venezuela faced a high inflation rate and large shortages of goods that was left over from the previous policies of President Ch\u00E1vez. These economic difficulties that Venezuela was facing were one of the main reasons of the current protests in Venezuela. President Maduro has blamed capitalism for speculation that is driving high rates of inflation and creating widespread shortages of staples, and often said he was fighting an \"economic war\", calling newly enacted economic measures \"economic offensives\" against political opponents he and loyalists state are behind an international economic conspiracy. However, President Ma"@en . . . . "Barclays, September 2015"@en . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . "right"@en . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . "#c6dbf7"@en . . . . . . . . "When elected in 2013, Nicol\u00E1s Maduro continued the majority of existing economic policies of his predecessor Hugo Ch\u00E1vez. When entering the presidency, President Maduro's Venezuela faced a high inflation rate and large shortages of goods that was left over from the previous policies of President Ch\u00E1vez. These economic difficulties that Venezuela was facing were one of the main reasons of the current protests in Venezuela. President Maduro has blamed capitalism for speculation that is driving high rates of inflation and creating widespread shortages of staples, and often said he was fighting an \"economic war\", calling newly enacted economic measures \"economic offensives\" against political opponents he and loyalists state are behind an international economic conspiracy. However, President Maduro has been criticized for only concentrating on public opinion instead of tending to the practical issues economists have warned the Venezuelan government about or creating any ideas to improve the economic situation in Venezuela such as the \"economic war\". In 2014, Venezuela's economy entered a recession with its economy contracting by 4.8%, 4.9% and 2.3% in the first three quarters. That year, Venezuela topped the Global Misery Index, which is based on inflation, unemployment, and other economic factors. In December 2014, it was stated that Venezuela had a 93% chance of being in default, while it has also been noted that the government has never failed to meet the country's foreign-debt obligations. In 2015, Venezuela again topped the Global Misery Index and was expected to have its economy contract 7% according to the World Bank. The inflation rate also reached its highest rate in Venezuelan history. In 2019, Maduro started allowing transactions in U.S. dollars, a much more stable currency which is also used for international money transfers. People in Venezuela receive about $3.5 to $4 billion per year in remittances from family members; this change allowed Venezuelans to spend that money and started an economic recovery."@en . . . "1085004317"^^ . . . "43095207"^^ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . "250"^^ . . . . "246"^^ . . . . . . . . . . .