Venezuela News and Protests: Can President Nicolás Maduro Control the Country With Poverty?

Poverty is perhaps one way to control the poor people of Venezuela.

Since January, there has been civil unrest, protests democratic and political instability, as well as a growing number of poor people in Venezuela. However, the United Nations' poverty figures paint a different picture.

As of January, 30 people have died due to the political turmoil in Venezuela, and most recently, 200 people of all ages in Catia, a city not too far away from President Nicolás Maduro's presidential home, have been waiting in line for sugar and flour, The Economist reported.

Stranger still, the western half of the capital has been unaffected by the rampant violence. In that part of the capital, however, there is the ruling party, the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV). They are groups that run the barrios, or shanty towns, known as the "colectivos," they curb the crime.

The colectivos act as community enforcers working in concert with the security enforcers whenever some people rebel. It is the colectivos' barrios that are unaffected by civil unrest. However, it has been reported that the colectivos' fear of losing benefits such as housing allocations, employment, or subsidized food are contingent on political loyalty.

According to the U.N. Economic Commission on Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), as of 2012 Venezuela's poverty decreased by 5.6 percent, from 29.5 percent down to 23.9 percent. This is perhaps a head scratcher indeed, given the country's turbulent political and economic situation. In 2013, ECLAC declared that 164 million people are living in poverty in Latin America and the Caribbean region.

This data is both confusing for people living outside Venezuela, as well inside the country. The control of the barrios is perhaps control of the country for Maduro, but for how long? One expert says that within two to three months there will be shortages of food and basic goods so severe that the barrios will explode.

The poverty resolution that has been made between Maduro and the poor is only temporary, but perhaps it has been significant enough to lower the poverty rate.