Colombia's Duque compared to Venezuela's Maduro a thread using a socialist lens (since it has become fashionable to compare them):

1. Their political ideologies are in opposition. Duque belongs to the far-right and represents the interests of Colombia’s capitalist and political elites. He is also an ally of the US and supports their imperialist interests both in Colombia and the region as a whole.

Maduro, on the other hand, represents the interests of the working-class and champions the right for all of society to be represented in politics, not only the elites. His government also fights against Western imperialist interests not just in Venezuela but the region as a whole

2. While they both may be labelled populist, in the sense that they attempt to appeal to the working masses, only one of them actually has policies that better working-class conditions. Maduro and his government have implemented many policies that benefit ordinary people.

3. They belong to different social classes. Duque comes from a wealthy family and has achieved political power thanks to his class privileges.

Maduro comes from a working-class family and achieved political power through the merit of his work. He was a bus driver and trade unionist before he was a politician.

Ultimately; while Venezuela’s socialist experiment is far from perfect and we critically support their efforts, we have no such support for Duque’s administration. He’s a far-right extremist that has never attempted to better the lives of ordinary Colombians.

Ps. The economic and political crisis in Venezuela has to be looked at with a nuanced lens. We don’t accept the right-wing and liberal argument that Maduro alone is to blame for what is happening.

In fact, although some mistakes have been made these are from not being thorough enough in solidifying socialist structures and policies. Furthermore, the depth of the crisis must be attributed to national and international capital destabilising the economy. the END.