Thirty days after the U.S. captured then-President Nicolás Maduro, Venezuela remains in turmoil. Many citizens are unsure about the current situation, with fears of further attacks and government repression. Acting President Delcy RodrÃguez faces questions about her autonomy and potential U.S. influence. Despite promises of wage increases, uncertainty prevails. Maduro supporters view his capture as a kidnapping, while opposition leaders cautiously reemerge. RodrÃguez's new oil sector policies mark a shift from a pillar of the self-proclaimed socialist movement that has governed Venezuela for more than two decades. Venezuelans are balancing hope for economic improvement with fear of instability, as they navigate this complex political landscape.
By JOSHUA GOODMAN and ISABEL DEBRE Associated Press
Venezuelan opposition leader MarÃa Corina Machado says she's confident of her country's eventual transition to democracy after the U.S. military ousted former President Nicolás Maduro. But when pressed, she took pains to avoid giving details on her plans to return home or any timetable for elections in Venezuela. Her remarks on Friday reflect how President Donald Trump's endorsement of a Maduro loyalist to lead Venezuela for now has frozen out the nation's Nobel Peace Prize-winning crusader for democracy. Still, Machado has looked to get closer to Trump, presenting her Nobel medal to him a day earlier at the White House.
Venezuela's acting President Delcy RodrÃguez says lawmakers in her country should approve reforms to the oil industry that would open the doors to greater foreign investment. The remarks were made Thursday during her first state of the union speech. She addressed an anxious country as she navigates competing pressures from the United States and a government loyal to former President Nicolás Maduro, who was ousted by U.S. forces less than two weeks ago. The speech to the country's National Assembly, which wasn't being broadcast live in Venezuela, comes one day after RodrÃguez said her government would continue releasing prisoners detained under Maduro in what she described as "a new political moment."
Venezuela's acting President Delcy RodrÃguez vows to continue releasing prisoners detained under former President Nicolás Maduro. She made the remarks Wednesday during her first press briefing since Maduro was ousted by the United States earlier this month. RodrÃguez served as Maduro's vice president since 2018, running Venezuela's feared intelligence service and managing its crucial oil industry. A 56-year-old lawyer and politician, RodrÃguez was sworn in as interim president two days after the Trump administration snatched Maduro from his fortified compound and claimed the U.S. would be calling the shots in Venezuela. President Donald Trump said he held his first conversation with Rodriguez since Maduro's ouster and that "we're getting along very well with Venezuela."
