'They removed a piece from the dictatorship, there's still a long way to go': account of a Venezuelan living in Portugal
Gustavo Vivas, a Venezuelan living in Portugal, analyses the state of his homeland after the capture of Nicolás Maduro by the United States. 'We believe the change has not yet arrived,' he says about the current state of affairs. The solution for the country, he argues, lies in free elections. At the moment, 'the way the state is set up makes it impossible to hold free elections,' he laments.
Remittances from Venezuela to Portugal have been falling
In 2024 remittances from Venezuela to Portugal amounted to €9.8 million, a 15% decline on the previous year. The fall signals shifts in diaspora financial flows and can serve as an economic indicator of changing expatriate activity and cross‑border ties between the two countries.
194,000 Portuguese are registered with the consulates in Venezuela
Many families work in supermarkets and bakeries.
