It is no secret that in today鈥檚 corporate-dominated media landscape, Venezuela appears almost ubiquitously as a synonym of 鈥渄ictatorship鈥.
This is why many may be surprised that Venezuela will hold its 23rd election in 18 years on December 10 when Venezuelans go to the polls to elect local mayors.
It is important to understand the context and the intended (as well as likely) effects of the US administration's actions. With encouragement from Florida Senator Marco Rubio and other Republicans, US President Donald Trump has been trying to help topple the elected government of Venezuela.
Venezuelan foreign minister Jorge Arreaza met with diplomatic representatives from the European Union聽and rejected the sanctions imposed by the EU against the South American country, on November 14.
"EU sanctions seek to intervene in Venezuela," Arreaza said during the meeting.
Venezuela鈥檚 Revolutionary Sex and Gender Diversity Alliance (ASGDRe) was set up in 2009 as a collective to fight for gender diversity rights and against discrimination based on sexuality.
What separated ASGDRe from other similar groups was that they openly supported the revolutionary process taking place in Venezuela.
Speaking with members of ASGDRe, as part of the international solidarity delegation organised by Venezuela Analysis in August, they told us that the group began with about 10 members, mainly friends.
A high profile member of the ultra right-wing Popular Will (VP) party, Yon Goicoechea, was freed by Venezuelan authorities聽on November 4 after more than a year behind bars.
Goicoechea was arrested last August by national security forces for the alleged possession of explosive devices, just two days before an opposition march.聽
Since being granted conditional release, Goicoechea has confirmed his candidacy for the mayoralty of the wealthy municipality of El Hatillo, despite his party calling for a boycott of upcoming elections.聽
Speaking to a huge march on November 7, Venezuelan President Nicol谩s Maduro said that, during the Russian Revolution,聽the workers took political power into their hands for the first time. "In Revolution, all times are a battle and they are a struggle!", Maduro told the popular celebration聽of the 100th anniversary of the Bolshevik-led revolution on the outskirts of the Miraflores Palace Caracas.
The president recalled that the Revolution聽showed for the first time聽that workers could take聽political power in their hands to build a state.
The second vice-president of Venezuela鈥檚 National Constituent Assembly (ANC) has been removed after he publicly criticised聽the body鈥檚 inaction in the face of the country鈥檚 deepening economic crisis.
Former Attorney- General Isaias Rodriguez penned an op-ed in Venezuela鈥檚 centre-left newspaper Ultimas Noticias on October 23 in which he warned Chavismo could lose next year鈥檚 presidential elections, 鈥渋f the government and the National Constituent Assembly do not offer timely responses to this problem [of inflation]鈥.
The Canaima Industries factory in Caracas is the assembly point for computers that are given to students for free across Venezuela. Its name comes from the huge Canaima National Park in the south of Venezuela, home to extraordinary landscapes and the highest waterfall in the world, Angel Falls.
We visited the small computer factory, located in the middle of a military base in the east of the capital, as part of the international solidarity delegation organised by Venezuela Analysis in August.
The United Socialist Party of Venezuela鈥檚 (PSUV) victory in the October 15 elections for state governors is a major blow to the country鈥檚 right-wing opposition, as well as to its backers in Washington and Europe.
The victory also marks a significant step forward in the struggle to defend the gains of the almost two decade-long pro-poor Bolivarian Revolution, spearheaded by late former President Hugo Chavez.
One of the most important aspects of Venezuela鈥檚 pro-poor Bolivarian Revolution has been its promotion of women's empowerment through community organisation.
To get a sense of how this grassroots process of community organising is developing and the role women are playing in the process, we visited the Ataroa and Lomas de Leon communes as part of the Venezuela Analysis international solidarity delegation in late August.
President Nicol谩s Maduro鈥檚 United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) won 17 of 23 states in Sunday鈥檚 gubernatorial elections, the National Electoral Council (CNE) has confirmed, on October 15.
According to CNE President Tibisay Lucena, 61.14% of Venezuela鈥檚 18-million-strong electorate came out to vote, marking a record participation in the country鈥檚 regional elections, second only to the 65.45% turnout in 2008.
The approval ratings of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro rose to 23.2% at the end of September, according to a new poll conducted by private centre-right think tank聽Datanalisis.聽
The increase in the head of state鈥檚 popularity comes just weeks ahead of regional elections scheduled for October 15, when Venezuelans will choose their state governors for the next four years.聽