Venezuela: what comes next?
Following the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro by the United States, his former deputy Delcy Rodríguez has been sworn in as interim president in the parliament in Caracas. Rodríguez condemned the "kidnapping" of Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, only to declare her willingness to cooperate with Washington shortly afterwards.
Opposition in a dilemma
In El País, Venezuelan historian Margarita López Maya pins her hopes on the opposition:
“Maduro's departure leaves the authoritarian and criminal power structure weakened, but still intact. ... The US appears to support its continuation, based on the assumption that stabilising the country will depend on the very actors who have plundered and ruined it. ... For those who voted for a democratic transition, Trump's plan seems unbearable. ... The democratic opposition now faces new challenges. ... It must prove its ability to negotiate with powerful representatives of opposing positions and motivate citizens to support a transitional government.”
Cooperation with Trump unlikely
Interim President Delcy Rodriguez will give the US the cold shoulder, Revista 22 suspects:
“The US has an 'Iraq syndrome'. ... Fearing a repeat of what happened back then, the Americans would prefer Venezuela to be led by representatives of the old regime, who would then do what the Americans tell them to do. But that is a grand illusion, as is the idea that acting President Rodriguez will behave in this way. Like Maduro, she is a staunch socialist, and for her it is unacceptable to take orders from capitalists and imperialists. It is certain that neither she nor the leaders of the corrupt army and the repressive Ministry of the Interior will cooperate, nor will they ensure a 'safe, orderly and reasonable transition', as Trump hopes.”
Maduro's apparatus is easier to control
In a Telegram post picked up by Echo, journalist Sergei Aslanian laments the Venezuelan opposition's failure to seize the moment after Maduro's fall:
“There was a chance. If the opposition in Venezuela had suddenly shown signs of life and presented proposals. ... Maintaining the current government apparatus means that the US will not change anything. Venezuela will continue to develop its socialism, America will continue to pump oil. There is one advantage to keeping the apparatus in place: with the opposition, there would have to be long and painstaking negotiations on every issue, whereas the apparatus that has been left intact can be ordered around and punished for disobedience.”