Venezuela’s socialist regime offers impoverished citizens a Holy Week bonus worth just $4, highlighting the stark reality of an economy in freefall where even basic food items remain out of reach for many.
At a Glance
- The Maduro regime is distributing a $4 “Holy Week 2025 bonus” through its Chinese-inspired Fatherland Card system
- Venezuela’s monthly minimum wage is approximately $1.60, with 86% of citizens living in poverty
- The bonus is insufficient to purchase traditional Holy Week foods like fish, which costs around $7 per kilogram
- Hyperinflation continues to plague Venezuela, with March 2025 seeing a 13.1% inflation rate
- The economic crisis has driven over 5.6 million Venezuelans to flee the country in one of the western hemisphere’s largest forced displacements
Socialist Control Through Meager Handouts
The Venezuelan government has activated its latest round of social subsidies through the controversial Fatherland Card system. The Holy Week 2025 bonus of approximately $4 comes with a message from President Nicolás Maduro urging citizens to “renew during Holy Week the values of love, peace and justice; let us enjoy with conscience our beloved Venezuela.” This digital identity system, implemented with technical assistance from Chinese telecom giant ZTE, functions as both a welfare distribution mechanism and a social control apparatus.
“Let us renew during Holy Week the values of love, peace and justice; let us enjoy with conscience our beloved Venezuela” – Nicolás Maduro.
The bonus amount stands in stark contrast to the economic realities facing most Venezuelans. The public sector minimum wage remains at 130 bolivars monthly, equivalent to just $1.60. With March’s inflation rate hitting 13.1% and an accumulated inflation of 37.7% for early 2025, the economic instability continues unabated under socialist policies that have devastated what was once South America’s wealthiest nation.
Economic Reality Beyond Political Rhetoric
For ordinary Venezuelans, the $4 bonus represents a fraction of what’s needed for traditional Holy Week observances. Fish, a staple for Catholic Holy Week celebrations, costs approximately $7 per kilogram, placing it well beyond the reach of most citizens even with the government stipend. Citizens are forced to make difficult choices about how to allocate these minimal resources among competing needs like food, medicines, and utility bills.
“A kilo of fish is about seven dollars, more than my pension. One helps oneself with the bonuses and I have to stretch it to eat for a month and buy some medicines. Now one has to think well how to make do with what little one has. And if I can’t, I’ll buy chicken for Good Friday or I’ll eat salad.” – Nolli Fernández.
The Venezuelan Finances Observatory reports that 86% of the population now lives in poverty. Many households depend entirely on remittances from relatives who fled the country during the mass exodus that has seen 5.6 million Venezuelans leave their homeland. This migration represents one of the largest forced displacements in the western hemisphere, driven by a complex humanitarian emergency that shows no signs of improvement.
Human Impact of Venezuela’s Collapse
Behind the statistics are real human stories of deprivation and hardship. What was once a middle-class population has been reduced to struggling for basic necessities. Many turn to odd jobs, gambling, or bartering to supplement meager incomes that average under $200 monthly. The oil-rich nation, which once boasted extensive social benefits, now cannot provide its citizens with reliable electricity, clean water, or accessible healthcare.
“I have cried because I have not had to eat. We haven’t migrated — first, because I have my mom and dad here, and second, because I believe in God and I believe that we are going to get through this. But if not, I do have to leave unfortunately with a broken heart, like all those who have emigrated.” – Cruz Brito.
With presidential elections on the horizon, many Venezuelans hope for political change that might reverse the country’s fortunes. Opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez, backed by prominent opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, presents the most significant electoral challenge to Maduro’s rule in years. However, the military’s continued loyalty to Maduro’s regime and questions about electoral integrity leave many doubtful about the prospects for peaceful democratic transition.
