Interim president has the difficult challenge of containing internal dissent within Chavismo and, at the same time, meeting the demands of Donald Trump, who declared that he is in control of the country
formally begins, this Tuesday (6), its interim government in under the pressure of meeting the energy demands of and to reorganize Chavismo without Nicolás Maduro.
Rodríguez, 56, was sworn in before Parliament on Monday, almost at the same time that Maduro declared himself “innocent” before a judge in of several charges, the main one for drug trafficking.
Maduro was captured along with his wife, Cilia Flores, on Saturday, during a US attack on Caracas and other regions of the country. Flores also faces trial on the same charges.
The United Nations expressed deep concern about the operation ordered by Donald Trump, which left dozens dead. They warned that it “violated a fundamental principle of international law”.
“I come with pain over the kidnapping of two heroes that we hold hostage in the United States,” said Delcy Rodríguez, Maduro’s vice president since 2018 and first in the line of succession, upon taking office.
As happened on Monday, Chavismo called for demonstrations this Tuesday to demand the release of Maduro, who, dressed as a prisoner, denounced being a “prisoner of war”.
“I’m not guilty, I’m a decent man, I’m still the president of my country,” he said at the hearing, before being interrupted by the judge.
This Tuesday, the Organization of American States (OAS) will hold an extraordinary Permanent Council in Washington, where the divisions awakened by Venezuela between the right-wing and left-wing governments in Latin America will once again appear.
“Unstable government”
Rodríguez visited the tomb of Hugo Chávez, father of the so-called Bolivarian Revolution, in the hours following his inauguration. She faces the difficult challenge of calming any dissent within Chavismo and satisfying the demands of Trump, who has claimed to have control of the country.
The President of the United States has already warned her that if “she doesn’t do the right thing, she will pay a very high price, probably greater than that of Maduro”.
Key figures such as Interior and Defense Ministers Diosdado Cabello and Vladimir Padrino remain in their positions.
“Delcy should sleep with one eye open right now,” former American diplomat Brian Naranjo, who was number two at his country’s embassy in Venezuela between 2014 and 2018, told AFP, before being expelled by Maduro.
“Behind her are two men who would be more than happy to slit her throat and take control,” he added, referring to Cabello and Padrino.
For political analyst Marino de Alba, the new government is “unstable”, but indicated “that, despite internal differences, Chavismo has well internalized that only with apparent cohesion does it have the possibility of perpetuating itself in power”.
“The main objective is to gain time to consolidate the resettlement and take advantage of the fact that Washington’s demands and conditions are centered on the oil issue, which will also take some time to materialize,” he added.
Rodríguez has already sent a first letter to Trump in which he defends a balanced and respectful relationship.
The New York Stock Exchange closed higher on Monday, according to some analysts, driven by increases in companies in the energy sector.
Political agenda
A retired general who held senior positions in the Armed Forces said Rodríguez would open the country’s doors to American oil and mining companies. It does not rule out a resumption of diplomatic relations, broken in 2019. And, in parallel, “in an accessory way”, it will promote “an electoral political agenda”, which includes the release of imprisoned politicians.
“Repression will continue to be a central element to guarantee the continuity of Chavismo, although we may also see some partial releases to seek decompression and open new channels of negotiation”, estimated Alba.
On the horizon, there is the electoral element. The opposition has not recognized Maduro’s re-election in 2024 and demands that Edmundo González Urrutia assume power together with María Corina Machado.
“In free and fair elections, we will win with more than 90% of the votes, I have no doubt,” the opposition leader told Fox News, who assured that she will return to her country after coming out of hiding to travel to Oslo to receive the Nobel Peace Prize.
But Trump assured that Machado “does not have the support or respect in his country” to govern. “She is a very kind woman, but she does not inspire respect.”
Rodríguez’s interim presidency lasts for a maximum of 180 days, after which he will have to call elections.
*With AFP
