Venezuelan Minister on Election Victory: 'The Empire Failed'

In an exclusive interview with teleSUR Venezuelan Vice President and Minister of Planning and Development Ricardo Menendez talked about President Nicolas Maduro’s victory in Sunday’s elections and affirmed “the cycle of United States interventionism against the people of Latin America simply won’t be our destiny.”

RELATED: 
Venezuela: Ex-Candidate Bertucci Recognizes Electoral Results

During the interview Menendez celebrated electoral participation and played down accusations of fraud or vote purchasing, highlighting these accusations seek to “dehumanize the people to justify any scheme of aggression.”

Menendez also criticized former presidential candidate Henri Falcon’s central campaign promise to dollarize the Venezuelan economy. “Those countries that dollarize their economy place it under the mercy of U.S. ups and downs and mortgage their sovereignty,” he told Orlando Perez host of teleSUR's Enclave Politica.

To explain Maduro’s triumph despite negative macroeconomic indicators like hyperinflation Menendez said the government’s policies to protect people in the midst of “economic war,” and the “profound consciousness of the Venezuelan people” are behind the victory.

He explained the country reached 100 percent coverage of people in retirement age, and secured a 1000 percent increase in the construction of social homes.

RELATED: 
US, Allies Continue Interventionist Agenda After Venezuela Vote

“We have been able to break with the neoliberal thesis  that states that when there are economic crisis, in this case produced by the U.S. empire, there is contraction of social spending,” Menendez affirmed.

What Venezuela has done is to show that “the people’s thesis can impose itself, that in the face of aggression we can generate a vision of votes, of the people’s participation… That is the offering of the Venezuelan people, a people besieged during five years.”

Menendez also blasted the Venezuelan opposition for not betting on an electoral thesis but rather an “interventionist thesis” by trying to produce an armed insurrection to convince the international community that Venezuela needs a foreign intervention.

“That interventionist model will continue by the U.S. empire and its associates. An example of this is the new sanctions announced by the U.S. Treasury. They will continue on their agenda while we are with a vision of closing the cycle of aggressions against Venezuela,” Menendez explained.    

Despite the “wide victory” Nicolas Maduro has proposed a national dialogue with regional actors Menendez said. “A dialogue not with the elites; it is not about sitting with those who have always attempted to dominate the economic and social power. It is about going to the towns, talking with peasants and fishermen, with everyone despite their ideology.”    

As planning minister, Menendez also vowed to guarantee “the nation’s development under the concept of human development.”