Earthquake recovery pushes Venezuela’s democratic hopes to the sidelinesExBulletin

Stephanie Landays sits in the rubble of a collapsed building in La Guaira, Venezuela, on Sunday, as she waits for news of her two children in the aftermath of the earthquakes. Ariana Cubellos/AP .

. Ariana Cubellos/AP

CARACAS, Venezuela – Chanting “now or never,” about 100 demonstrators in Caracas demanded that Venezuela’s authoritarian regime hold free elections. They then marched to the secret police headquarters to demand the release of more than 300 political prisoners. But apart from sending policemen armed with rifles to monitor them, Venezuelan authorities have mostly ignored the protesters. Their demonstration, which took place last week, quickly dispersed. In the wake of the two earthquakes last month that killed 4,829 people and injured 16,740 others, according to government figures, recovery efforts have become the top priority.

As a result, another major concern – Venezuela’s return to democracy – has been postponed.

Acting President Delcy Rodriguez replaced authoritarian leader Nicolas Maduro, who was arrested by US forces in January. It is now working closely with the Trump administration. But US officials are more focused on reviving Venezuela’s oil industry than on promoting its return to democracy.

Critics say the post-earthquake emergency allowed Rodriguez, who kept many pro-Maduro hardliners in her government, to ignore demands for a timetable for presidential elections. Last month, her government set up roadblocks when the main opposition leader, Maria Corina Machado, tried to return from the United States to Venezuela. The country’s airspace was briefly closed to its plane. In a speech last week, Rodriguez accused her critics of exploiting the chaos following the earthquakes to “plot” against her government. All this left opposition activists very frustrated. “The regime always comes up with new excuses to delay things,” said José Rolon, a pro-Machado activist in La Guaira state, the area hardest hit by the quake. For them, “this will not be the time to talk about elections or democratic transformation.” However, some analysts warn against moving too quickly. Before holding elections, Venezuela must first replace its highly partisan electoral council and Supreme Court, says radio host and former diplomat Vladimir Villegas. These institutions endorsed Maduro’s claims that he won the 2024 presidential elections despite widespread evidence that he lost overwhelmingly to opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez. Machado supported him after the Maduro regime banned her from running for president. “That’s why holding elections now won’t be easy,” Villegas says. Opinion polls show Rodriguez to be deeply unpopular, and she has been heavily criticized for her government’s slow response to the earthquake. Villegas says she may be less inclined to outstay her term after watching what happened to Maduro, who has tried to maintain his grip on power and is now in a New York prison facing drug trafficking charges. There were some initial talks between opposition leaders and Rodriguez’s envoys about the democratic transition, but they were suspended in the wake of the earthquake. Meanwhile, Machado remains determined to resume efforts to hold free elections.

“Some say that Venezuela needs to prepare and organize itself in order to have a fair and transparent electoral process,” Machado told European Union members on Tuesday. “Venezuela is organized like no other society in our region. We have proven this time and time again in previous electoral processes.” The opposition itself is divided. Machado’s faction boycotted last year’s legislative elections and is highly critical of politicians who chose to run for office and who now form a small opposition bloc in the National Assembly. Another challenge is to revive Venezuelan political parties, many of which have been banned or taken over by the Maduro regime. Now Machado’s Vente Venezuela party is getting back on its feet. Its main office in Caracas was ransacked by regime supporters, while hundreds of party activists were imprisoned or fled the country. Among the recently released political prisoners is Henry Alviarez, the deputy leader of Venezuela’s Fente. But he still faces what he calls trumped-up charges of terrorism, treason and conspiracy, must report to judicial authorities every month, and is banned from leaving Venezuela. “Our party was persecuted, its members were imprisoned and forced to go underground,” Alviarez said. “But we are regrouping little by little.” While they wait for Machado to return to Venezuela, her party activists are focusing on providing earthquake relief. They collected tons of medical supplies, including antibiotics, rubber gloves, face masks and body bags, and distributed them to health workers in the disaster area. But volunteers like Rosa Kokonoba pledge that once the recovery efforts subside, they will return to politics — and push for free elections. “We have to help people with the things they need now,” she says. “But that doesn’t mean we won’t do all the work we have to do to finally get freedom.”

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