Venezuela: Political Landscape Report

On January 3, 2026, a military operation carried out by the United States in Caracas resulted in the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, triggering a political crisis with significant domestic and regional impact. The operation, which included airstrikes on strategic facilities, reopened debates on state sovereignty, international law, and the role of military interventions in Latin America.

In response to the resulting power vacuum, Venezuela’s Supreme Tribunal of Justice appointed Vice President Delcy Rodríguez as acting president, invoking Article 234 of the Constitution and avoiding the immediate call for elections. This decision enabled a controlled institutional transition that ensures the continuity of chavismo without the figure of Maduro.

In parallel, the U.S. administration announced its intention to temporarily administer Venezuela until advancing toward a political reconfiguration, with a primary focus on controlling and revitalizing the country’s oil sector. Political, economic, and military pressure from the United States thus emerges as a central factor constraining the new government’s room for maneuver.

Delcy Rodríguez’s acting presidency unfolds amid strong internal tensions within chavismo and a National Assembly overwhelmingly dominated by the ruling coalition. In this context, the short term is shaping up as a period of tense stability, marked by negotiations, external constraints, and power struggles, in which monitoring the cohesion of the ruling movement, the effective level of U.S. interference, and the response of key international actors will be critical.