Factbox: Venezuela's problems eclipsed by cancer saga

[Bacchus39]

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/07/04/us-venezuela-chavez-problems-idUSTRE7632J620110704
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HOUSING:

* With 29 million people, Venezuela is short of 2 million housing units. Chavez blames past capitalist governments and local businesses for putting profit motives before the needs of society at large. But critics say his own home-building record -- less than half a million new units since he came to power in 1999, and two-thirds of those built by the private sector -- is worse than that of his predecessors.

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* Having blamed last year's power shortages on a drought, the government has again been forced to introduce electricity rationing as blackouts bite. Caracas has largely been spared, the power-cuts are hitting provinces hard. Even some Chavez stronghold areas have witnessed sporadic protests as neighbors hurl stones at electricity offices or burn tires. The government blamed the situation on "sabotage" by its enemies and on wasteful use of electricity -- though it has refused to raise power prices that are among the region's lowest.

CRIME:

* A problem for decades, crime has grown even worse under Chavez. Caracas is now on a statistical par with some conflict zones as one of the most dangerous cities in the world.

*PRICES:

* Another constant in Venezuela is rampant inflation. The annual rate to May was off slightly at 22.8 percent, and the tendency appears to be slightly downward, but that is still the highest rate on the continent and one of the world's worst.

*ECONOMY:

* Grave problems remain, however. They include falling crude production, a byzantine foreign exchange control system, corruption, a shrinking private sector, inefficient state businesses, and the fast-rising debt burden of state oil company PDVSA and the national government.

DEMOCRACY:

* Chavez's authoritarian style has been a source of controversy around the world and Venezuela's society is polarized along political lines. Yet polls show the democracy debate is not at the top of most Venezuelans' daily concerns.