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The collapse of Venezuela, explained

The country is in chaos, but its leaders aren’t going anywhere.

Venezuela was once the richest and most promising country in Latin America. It has the largest oil reserves in the world, and for a long time it had a growing democracy. But today, its economic and democratic institutions are failing. While inflation skyrockets, food and medicine have become unaffordable for the country’s poor, who now make up a staggering 82 percent of the population. But instead of fixing these issues, president Nicolás Maduro has only focused on keeping himself in power. Despite violent protests across the country, Maduro has manipulated the system to gain control of all branches of government through a recent vote. To learn more about the collapse of Venezuela, watch the video above.

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