Waving fists full of dollar bills and splashing out thousands to stay at the Ritz in Paris... when their fellow Venezuelans are short of food and medicine
THE opulent lives of Venezuela’s so-called “daughters of chavismo” continue to be flaunted while the country is crippled by constant power blackouts and hyperinflation.
At least three million Venezuelans have left their country due to an acute shortage of medicines and food — and money.
But the dire conditions have had no impact on Venezuela’s rich kids, who continue staying at plush hotels, or posing with pop-stars, reports .
Among the spoilt socialist elite is Maria Gabriela, the oldest daughter of the late President Hugo Chavez, whom he affectionately called “the heroine”, and is said to be Venezuela’s wealthiest woman.
According to a Forbes article in 2015, the leader was worth an “estimated $2billion at the time of his death [in 2013].
“Today, his daughter Maria Gabriela is the wealthiest woman in Venezuela, worth double that.”
It is believed that the 38-year-old’s fortune is hidden in European bank accounts, says the MailOnline.
More than once her revolutionary dad Hugo Chavez declared that “being rich is bad”, adding that “rich people attack me for saying that, but I claim it is bad”.
Maria Gabriela took on a role of “alternative ambassador of Venezuela to the United Nations” – a senior diplomatic position – despite never holding a formal job.
Her younger sister Rosines Chavez, 21, has been studying at the University of Paris.
In 2016, Rosines drew attention to the family’s extreme wealth by posing on social media with a hand full of dollar bills.
The BBC reports that, meanwhile, Venezuelans are suffering thanks to power cuts, food and medicine shortages and hyperinflation.
There is also rising unemployment and people have been fleeing the country because of violent crime.
While the rich kids of Venezuela are having a ball, those left behind are struggling to buy food, toiletries and other basic items.
The MailOnline says that in Venezuela, teachers – for example – are almost working for free, as their wages have plummeted because of hyperinflation.
Those hoping to further their education at university are faced with spiralling fees.
The Chavezes’ love of flaunting their wealth has been copied by the likes of socialist President Nicolas Maduro.
He famously puffed on a cigar while tucking into a large banquet in Istanbul, hosted by celebrity chef Salt Bae, in 2018.
And Maduro’s stepsons, Yoswal and Walter Gavidia Flores spent a whopping $45,000 on accommodation at the Ritz in Paris.
The MailOnline points out that this is the equivalent of the monthly wages of 2,000 Venezuelans.
The rich kids have also been seen splashing out on jewellery and clothes in Madrid – despite the suffering of people back home.
reports that among the thousands fleeing to neighbouring Colombia to seek relief, some are forced into prostitution in order to survive.
One year ago, US Senator Marco Rubio called on America to increase international pressure on the Maduro regime.
He said: “Dear Mr. President: We write to express our growing concern about efforts by Nicolás Maduro and his regime officials to undermine the rule of law in Venezuela and promote instability in the Western Hemisphere.
“The Maduro regime, in an effort to cling to power and promote a failed political ideology, has dismantled democratic institutions, repressed political opponents, and starved the Venezuelan people through economic mismanagement.
“This lawless environment threatens the stability and security of the region, including the US, by providing fertile ground for drug cartels and U.S.-designated foreign terrorist organisations… to operate.
“On December 14, 2017, two nephews of Maduro’s wife, Franqui Francisco Flores de Freitas and Efrain Antonio Campo Flores, were convicted in US federal court of drug smuggling.
“It is clear that the United States can — and should — do more to increase international pressure against Maduro and his cronies.”
Last year, America confiscated $800million from top Venezuelan official Diosdado Cabello, Maduro’s second-in-command, whose daughter Daniela boasts about her celebrity lifestyle, and shows off her eye-catching looks on social media.
