“What I have is because of my work”

The economist and former deputy José Guerra responded on Monday to the accusations of Nicolás Maduro, who called him corrupt after he Venezuelan Finance Observatory, of which the opponent is a part, published data on inflation in the country.

Guerra defended his career and stated that everything he has achieved is due to his effort and work. «You have defamed me, you have accused me of being corrupt, which is totally false. “I worked for 25 years at the Central Bank,” declared the opponent in a video published on Instagram.

The economist explained that he began his career at the Central Bank of Venezuela as an economist and that, after years of dedication and studies abroad, he reached the Economic Research Management of the body.

«Everything I have and what I have done is because of my work. I don’t know if you can say the same.” added the former deputy, who questioned Maduro’s ethics.

Guerra also rejected Maduro’s insinuations about the observatory’s alleged usurpation of functions of the Central Bank. And he pointed out that the government destroyed the institution.

He explained that, together with other experts, has worked on the preparation of economic data and figures to make up for the lack of official information, given the concealment and “manipulation” of figures by the authorities.

«I will never accept that you defame me»

The former deputy also emphasized that he has lived off his work all his life and continues to do so, even in exile.

“Exile is the hardest and most difficult thing a person can face,” he said.

But he warned that He will not allow Maduro to defame him: “You have all the power, but I will never accept that, based on that power, you defame an honest man who has dedicated his life to the country.”

Guerra, who was active on the left in his first years of political life, revealed that A trip to Cuba made him change his perspective, becoming critical of Fidel Castro’s regime.

“Since that trip I arrived with a critical mentality to question a totalitarian government, a dictator like Fidel Castro and his entire environment,” he stated.

What did Nicolás Maduro say about José Guerra?

During his weekly program, Maduro expressed: “There is a certain Guerra who is from Primero Justicia, who has a kind of economic observatory, which now tries to be like the parallel Central Bank of Venezuela. He comes up with whatever figures he wants. Because he lives comfortably outside with what he stole from Primero Justicia. “I denounce it.”

«He, who at one time worked on the revolutionary left as an infiltrator in an organization called Revolutionary Tendency, and later ended up being a spokesperson for the extreme right of economic groups. He wants to mess with the positive environment that we have achieved with work. The growth of the real economy is going from strength to strength, the total defeat of hyperinflation, of inflation,” he added.

The socialist assured that Venezuela will have the lowest inflation recorded in 25 years.

#POLICY | 🔵 Nicolás Maduro warned about a campaign that aims to destabilize the Venezuelan economy, by the member of the Primero Justicia political party, José Guerra.

”There is a certain Luis Guerra from PJ, who has a kind of Venezuelan Observatory… pic.twitter.com/Si5Eh5Ky35

— On Medio Street (@plcdelmedionews) October 8, 2024

Inflation rose 0.6% in Venezuela in September

Venezuela registered inflation of 3.4% in September, which represents an increase of 0.6 percentage points compared to August, when it stood at 2.8%, according to data released by the Venezuelan Finance Observatory.

The OVF reported that, between January and September 2024, accumulated inflation reached 30.4%, which represents a decrease of 129% compared to the same period of the previous year.

Among the sectors that registered the greatest price increases in September were education, with an increase of 6%, food (5.1%), services (4.5%), and school fees, which experienced a significant increase of 14%. .1%. University enrollment also rose 6.2%.

For its part, the Central Bank presented a different vision. According to the official entity, inflation in September was reduced by 0.6% compared to August, standing at 0.8%, which brought the accumulated inflation for the year to 12.1%, a figure that contrasts with the 30.4% reported by the OVF.

As the end of 2024 approaches, projections suggest that Venezuela will close the year with double-digit accumulated inflation, a scenario notably different from previous years, when the country experienced hyperinflation between 2017 and 2021 that destroyed the purchasing power of Venezuelans and severely devalued the bolivar.