29 October 2026
Venezuela's National Assembly sent a delegation to COP17, the seventeenth Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, held in Yerevan, Armenia from 19 to 30 October.
The deputies went as the Venezuelan chapter of the Parlamento Amazonico, the regional parliament for Amazon countries.
Deputy Oliver Rivas, who heads that chapter, and Deputy Maigualida Barrera made up the delegation.
Rivas told the meeting that Venezuela's Ley Organica de Minas carries seven articles on protecting the environment and bans the use of mercury in mining.
He described the Amazon as a guarantee against the climate crisis and said protecting the region means safeguarding the indigenous peoples living in it.
The Venezuelan members worked in the conference's second working group, on biological diversity and sustainable forest use.
The Assembly's own account says COP17 brings together representatives of 196 countries under the slogan "Actuar en favor de la naturaleza" and is the first review of progress towards the 2030 nature goals.
Conference:
COP17 of the Convenio sobre Diversidad Biologica
Host city:
Ereván, Armenia
Dates:
19 al 30 de octubre
Countries represented:
196
Slogan:
Actuar en favor de la naturaleza
Why it matters for exams: COP17 of the Convention on Biological Diversity and its host city Yerevan are standard Environment questions, and the Parlamento Amazonico is a grouping an examiner can ask about.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
CBD Convention on Biological Diversity — The UN treaty on conserving biological diversity; its member states meet at a Conference of the Parties.
Parlamento Amazonico Amazonian Parliament — A regional parliamentary body of Amazon basin countries; Venezuela has its own chapter.
28 October 2026
Venezuela's Comite de Postulaciones Judiciales began receiving applications on Wednesday 28 October for posts in the country's judiciary.
The call covers magistrates of the Tribunal Supremo de Justicia, the head of the Inspectoria de Tribunales and the leadership of the Escuela Nacional de la Magistratura.
Applications close on Wednesday 11 November, and candidates who applied between May and June only have to confirm their interest in writing.
The committee is chaired by Deputy Giuseppe Alessandrello, with Deputy Pablo Perez as vice-president.
Papers are received at the seat of the Museo Boliviano of the National Assembly between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m.
Applicants must be Venezuelan by birth, hold a specialisation, master's or doctorate in legal science, and must not be active in a political party.
Those seeking the Escuela Nacional de la Magistratura post must also bring a letter of ethics from their bar association.
Committee:
Comite de Postulaciones Judiciales
Applications open:
miercoles 28 de octubre
Applications close:
miercoles 11 de noviembre
Chair:
Giuseppe Alessandrello
Vice-chair:
Pablo Perez
Venue:
Museo Boliviano de la Asamblea Nacional
Why it matters for exams: The Tribunal Supremo de Justicia is Venezuela's highest court, and the Comite de Postulaciones Judiciales is the body that screens candidates for it — both are named institutions an examiner can ask about.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
TSJ Tribunal Supremo de Justicia — Venezuela's Supreme Tribunal of Justice, the highest court of the country.
Escuela Nacional de la Magistratura National School of the Magistracy — The training institution for Venezuelan judges.
28 October 2026
The plenary of Venezuela's National Assembly approved the first 13 articles of the Proyecto de Reforma Parcial de la Ley Organica del Sistema y Servicio Electrico in second discussion.
The bill is a partial reform of the country's organic law on the electricity system and service.
Under Venezuelan practice a bill is debated twice: the first discussion covers the statement of motives and general principles, the second goes article by article before the law is sanctioned.
Deputy Reinaldo Sifuentes said the remaining articles will be taken up in the coming days.
He said observations made by opposition lawmakers were written into the draft.
The drafting involved public consultations with specialists, representatives of the engineers' association and the Consejo de Energias Renovables.
The stated aim is to correct operational failures in the electricity service and help the national electrical system recover fully.
Bill:
Proyecto de Reforma Parcial de la Ley Organica del Sistema y Servicio Electrico
Articles approved:
13
Stage:
segunda discusion
Consulted body:
Consejo de Energias Renovables
Why it matters for exams: The Ley Organica del Sistema y Servicio Electrico and the two-discussion route a Venezuelan bill takes before it is sanctioned are both durable Polity facts.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
Segunda discusion Second discussion — The second, article-by-article reading a bill gets in Venezuela's National Assembly before it is sanctioned.
28 October 2026
Venezuela's National Assembly has been readmitted as a full member of the Union Interparlamentaria, the world body of national parliaments known in English as the Inter-Parliamentary Union.
The readmission was formally approved at the Union's 153rd General Assembly, held in Tanzania, after five years outside the organisation.
The Assembly's president, Jorge Rodriguez, held a high-level meeting in Geneva with Anda Filip of the Union's secretariat.
He presented the parliament's account of the national dialogue between the government and former deputies of the 2015 Assembly.
He also described steps taken on citizens' political rights and legal reforms meant to shield the economy and society from extreme polarisation.
The Venezuelan delegation included first vice-president Pedro Infante and deputies America Perez, Pedro Carreno, Luis Augusto Romero and Stalin Gonzalez.
The delegation was to continue with working sessions in Geneva.
Organisation:
Union Interparlamentaria (UIP)
Assembly that approved readmission:
153a Asamblea General, Tanzania
Years outside:
cinco anos
Venezuelan Assembly president:
Jorge Rodriguez
Meeting venue:
Ginebra
Why it matters for exams: The Inter-Parliamentary Union, its General Assembly numbering and the office of the President of Venezuela's National Assembly are all durable facts an examiner can set.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
IPU Inter-Parliamentary Union — The global organisation of national parliaments, with its headquarters in Geneva; called Union Interparlamentaria in Spanish.
25 October 2026
A proposal to reform Venezuela's Ley Constitucional contra el Odio, por la Convivencia Pacifica y la Tolerancia is to begin its formal debate in the plenary of the National Assembly.
The law's full title translates as the Constitutional Law against Hatred, for Peaceful Coexistence and Tolerance, and the law now in force was approved on 8 November 2017 by the Asamblea Nacional Constituyente.
After the Tribunal Supremo de Justicia gives its pronouncement, the proposal goes to a first discussion covering the statement of motives and the general outline, and then to public consultation.
Deputy Nicolas Maduro Guerra, who represents Distrito Capital, said in a television interview that the law should never have had to exist, because political differences should not have produced hatred or violence.
He said the law came as a response to acts of aggression and incitement to hatred.
He added that the governing movement recognises its own mistakes and called for democratic coexistence with political guarantees for every sector.
The legal order would keep exceptions for grave charges such as murder, conspiracy and terrorism.
The Assembly has since reported that the Constitutional Chamber of the Tribunal Supremo de Justicia, in Judgment No. 1034, found the reform bill constitutional, which clears the Assembly to carry on with debate, consultation and approval; the ruling does not make the reform a law in force.
Law:
Ley Constitucional contra el Odio, por la Convivencia Pacifica y la Tolerancia
Next stage:
primera discusion
Deputy quoted:
Nicolas Maduro Guerra (PSUV, Distrito Capital)
Why it matters for exams: The Ley Constitucional contra el Odio is a named Venezuelan statute, and the route a reform takes — Tribunal Supremo de Justicia pronouncement, first discussion, public consultation — is a durable Polity fact.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Primera discusion First discussion — The first reading of a bill in Venezuela's National Assembly, covering its statement of motives and general outline.
23 October 2026
Venezuela's Comite de Postulaciones Judiciales has held its first working session, and the body is made up of 23 members.
Eleven of them are deputies of the National Assembly and the other twelve are representatives of civil society.
That mix is the design of the committee: it is not a purely parliamentary panel, and the non-parliamentary members outnumber the deputies.
The committee will also review applications left pending by the previous committee, alongside the fresh ones it receives.
Deputy Pablo Perez, the committee's vice-president, said the sessions had begun well and that the new court should be made up of people with academic, moral and ethical standing.
He said Venezuela would have a new Tribunal Supremo de Justicia within the year.
Fresh nominations were to be received from 28 October.
Total members:
23
Deputies:
11
Civil society members:
12
Vice-president:
Pablo Perez
Why it matters for exams: The composition of the Comite de Postulaciones Judiciales — eleven deputies and twelve civil society members — is the kind of institutional design question an examiner can set on Venezuela's judiciary.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Comite de Postulaciones Judiciales Judicial Nominations Committee — The Venezuelan body that screens candidates for judicial office; it mixes deputies with civil society representatives.
23 October 2026
Venezuela's National Assembly is examining the Proyecto de Ley para el Fomento, Desarrollo y Proteccion de la Actividad Ganadera, a bill on promoting, developing and protecting livestock farming.
Deputy Jose Gregorio Vielma Mora of the Comision Permanente de Economia, Finanzas y Desarrollo Nacional said the bill is meant to bring technology and legal certainty to the sector.
It covers ruminants, pigs, poultry, sheep and goats, and he put the workforce involved at more than six million people.
The commission held public consultations in 18 states, among them Guarico, Zulia, Lara, Cojedes and Anzoategui, to hear primary producers.
The bill would coordinate 16 state institutions on financing, physical security and agrarian development.
It would strengthen the Banco Agricola so that credit suits each region's ecosystems, and require phytosanitary and zoosanitary protocols with traceability along the value chain so that meat can be exported.
Vielma Mora said the country needs 36 million foot-and-mouth disease vaccines a year.
Bill:
Proyecto de Ley para el Fomento, Desarrollo y Proteccion de la Actividad Ganadera
States consulted:
18 estados
State institutions coordinated:
16
Vaccines needed a year:
36 millones
Bank to be strengthened:
Banco Agricola
Why it matters for exams: The bill's full name, the Banco Agricola it strengthens and the Comision Permanente de Economia, Finanzas y Desarrollo Nacional that is examining it are all durable facts.
Kerala PSCUPSCBank
In plain words
Banco Agricola Banco Agricola de Venezuela — Venezuela's state agricultural bank, which the bill would use to lend to livestock producers.
4 October 2026
The 68th meeting of the Joint Ministerial Monitoring Committee, the body that watches over the OPEC and non-OPEC Declaration of Cooperation, reviewed crude oil production data for July and August 2026.
Venezuela is one of the committee's members, alongside Saudi Arabia, Russia, Iraq, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Nigeria and Algeria.
The committee noted overall conformity among the participating countries and reaffirmed that it is monitoring the production adjustments agreed at the 38th OPEC and non-OPEC Ministerial Meeting of 5 December 2024.
It stressed the role of the Declaration of Cooperation in keeping energy markets stable and underlined the need to protect international maritime routes.
The committee also recorded concern over attacks on energy infrastructure, saying repairs are costly and slow.
It keeps the authority to call extra meetings or ask for a full ministerial meeting at any time.
The 69th meeting of the committee is set for 29 November 2026.
Meeting:
68th Meeting of the Joint Ministerial Monitoring Committee
Production data reviewed:
July and August 2026
Adjustments monitored:
38th ONOMM of 5 December 2024
Next meeting:
29 November 2026
Why it matters for exams: The Joint Ministerial Monitoring Committee and the Declaration of Cooperation are the two named structures through which OPEC and non-OPEC producers manage output, and Venezuela's membership of the committee is the exam fact here.
Kerala PSCUPSCBank
In plain words
JMMC Joint Ministerial Monitoring Committee — The committee of OPEC and non-OPEC ministers that monitors conformity with agreed production levels.
DoC Declaration of Cooperation — The framework under which OPEC and a group of non-OPEC producers coordinate output.
Background
A Venezuelan deputy who sat in the biodiversity conference delegation represents Guayana Esequiba, the territory west of the Essequibo river that Venezuela claims and Guyana administers.
The dispute is before the International Court of Justice, the principal judicial organ of the United Nations, which sits at The Hague.
The case is registered as Arbitral Award of 3 October 1899 (Guyana v. Venezuela), and Guyana brought it by filing an application against Venezuela.
The Court first ruled on whether it had jurisdiction, and delivered a separate judgment on a preliminary objection raised by Venezuela.
It then held public hearings on the merits of the claim, after which the case stands for judgment.
Guyana lies to Venezuela's east; Colombia is its western neighbour and Brazil its southern one.
The Essequibo is the largest river wholly inside Guyana and gives the disputed region its name.
Case:
Arbitral Award of 3 October 1899 (Guyana v. Venezuela)
Court:
International Court of Justice, The Hague
Applicant:
Guyana
Disputed territory:
Guayana Esequiba
Why it matters for exams: The International Court of Justice at The Hague, the Guyana versus Venezuela case over the Essequibo, and Venezuela's three land neighbours are repeatedly asked in International Relations and Geography.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
ICJ International Court of Justice — The principal judicial organ of the United Nations, seated at The Hague; it settles disputes between states.
Background
Venezuela's heavy crude sits in the Orinoco Belt, the stretch of extra-heavy oil along the Orinoco river, and that is where foreign upstream investment in the country is concentrated.
ONGC Videsh, the overseas arm of Oil and Natural Gas Corporation, holds interests in the San Cristobal and Petrocarabobo-1 projects there, with investment put at about $1 billion.
Public sector companies from India have worked in Venezuela's upstream oil sector since 2008.
ONGC Videsh has obtained a licence to operate oil and gas projects in Venezuela, which chief financial officer Anupam Agarwal confirmed on an earnings call.
Venezuela is reforming its energy sector to open the oil and electricity markets to private capital, and has invited foreign companies into both upstream and downstream segments.
Venezuela's acting President Delcy Eloina Rodriguez Gomez visited New Delhi in June 2026, where the talks covered oil, critical minerals, technology, agriculture and health.
The two sides also discussed moving from spot purchases of crude to long-term supply agreements.
Indian company:
ONGC Videsh
Projects:
San Cristobal and Petrocarabobo-1, Orinoco Belt
Indian investment:
about $1 billion
Partnership since:
2008
Why it matters for exams: The Orinoco Belt as the home of Venezuela's extra-heavy crude, and ONGC Videsh as the overseas arm of ONGC holding stakes in the San Cristobal and Petrocarabobo-1 projects, are durable facts that recur in Economy and International Relations questions.
Kerala PSCUPSCBank
In plain words
ONGC Videsh ONGC Videsh Limited — The overseas exploration and production arm of Oil and Natural Gas Corporation, India's state oil company.
Orinoco Belt Faja Petrolifera del Orinoco — The band of extra-heavy crude along the Orinoco river, which holds the bulk of Venezuela's reserves.