Venezuela protest pro government
Venezuela January 29, 2019
86% of Venezuelans Oppose Military Intervention, 81% Against US Sanctions,
Local Polling Shows
The vast majority of Venezuelans oppose military intervention and US
sanctions to try to remove President Nicolás Maduro from power, according to
polling by the local firm Hinterlaces.
By Ben Norton
More than eight out of ten Venezuelans oppose international intervention,
both military and non-military, in their country, as well as the crippling
sanctions imposed by the United States to force leftist President Nicolás
Maduro out of power.
According to a study conducted in early January 2019 by the local polling
firm Hinterlaces, 86 percent of Venezuelans would disagree with
international military intervention. And 81 percent oppose the US sanctions
that have gravely hurt the South American nations economy.
This poll was conducted before the Donald Trump administration launched a
political coup in Venezuela on January 23, attempting to replace its
government with a right-wing opposition that has made it clear that it seeks
to impose neoliberal capitalist economic policies.
Hinterlaces is led by the independent pollster Oscar Schemel, who has
experience studying numerous elections in Venezuela and has a pro-business
perspective. Most polling firms in the country, such as the competitor
Datanálisis, tend to be pro-opposition. Hinterlaces is more neutral, and
often leans toward the government, although Schemel has criticized some of
Maduros economic policies.
English-language media outlets frequently ignore local polls done inside
Venezuela, and if they do report on them, they tend to publish the results
of polling firms run by pro-opposition figures.
The Grayzone has translated the findings of a Hinterlaces study conducted
between January 7 and 20. The following data is based on direct interviews
with 1,580 Venezuelans from all across the country, and was reported on the
program José Vicente HOY on January 27.
Do you agree or disagree with the US economic and financial sanctions that
are currently applied against Venezuela to remove President Maduro from
power?
81% disagree
17% agree
2% not sure
Would you agree or disagree if there were international intervention in
Venezuela to remove President Maduro from power?
78% disagree
20% agree
2% not sure
Would you agree or disagree if there were international military
intervention in Venezuela to remove President Maduro from power?
86% disagree
12% agree
2% not sure
In general do you agree or disagree with a dialogue being held between the
national government and the opposition to resolve the current economic
problems in the country?
84% agree
15% disagree
1% not sure
Ben Norton
Ben Norton is a journalist and writer. He is a reporter for The