The ruling party did not waste any opportunity to demand the release of Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores, captured by the United States in the early hours of Saturday, January 3, during the installation of a new period of the National Assembly, whose presidency was once again in the hands of Jorge Rodríguez and Chavismo.
This Monday, January 5, the installation of the period 2026-2031 was carried out. The opposition, unlike the last period, was grouped on the left of the chamber at the request of the bench with only one woman among its ranks: Nora Bracho, leader of Un Nuevo Tiempo.
Between shouts of “Vamos Nico” and applause, he was received – after 11:30 am – Jorge Rodríguez, who presided over the parliament in the 2020-2025 legislature, and Nicolás Maduro Guerra in the session chamber.
Both shared a hug with Juan Escalona, aide-de-camp of leaders Hugo Chávez and Nicolás Maduro, who won a deputation and about whom rumors of his death weighed after the United States attacks.
Deputy Fernando Soto Rojas (PSUV), 92, installed the session and served as director of debates as he was the oldest parliamentarian. Before proceeding to appoint the special commission to evaluate the credentials of the elected deputies, the former guerrilla assured that “the country and the world are going through a special, complex, demanding situation.”
“Constitutional President Nicolás Maduro Moros has been kidnapped by the United States government in a barbaric, cunning and cowardly attack, of a fascist nature by Yankee imperialism, the main enemy of the Venezuelan people, the region and the world,” he continued.
The Pesuvista deputy said that the Venezuelan people “will overcome this situation,” while Delcy Rodríguez remains in charge as interim president, following the order of the Supreme Court of Justice.
Likewise, he referred to the situation of a parliamentarian in particular: Cilia Flores, Maduro’s wife and whose seat was placed in the first row of the “Bancada de la Patria” in the session chamber.
«There is the seat of Representative Cilia Flores that the president of the United States, Mr. Trump, intends to be a prosecutor, judge and policeman of the world. “From Bolivarian Venezuela, we say: they will not be able to!” he stated, amid applause from Chavismo.
Before appointing deputy Carolina García as accidental secretary, he expressed his “solidarity for our legitimate president Nicolás Maduro to return to Miraflores”, which brought new cheers and applause from the official party.
A special commission, in which América Pérez (PSUV), Nora Bracho (UNT), Jocsen Alvarado (PSUV), Juan Carlos Alvarado (Copei) participated and chaired by Guiseppe Alessandrello (PSUV), reviewed the credentials of each deputy and once again noted the absence of Cilia Flores.
“Nicolás Maduro is not a circumstantial character”
On behalf of the ruling party, Nicolás Maduro Guerra was in charge of making the nomination for the board of directors. But first, in statements that took 20 minutes, he highlighted the figure of his father and his “second mother”, Cilia Flores, who he said are “true revolutionaries, who protected the country, who do not and will not hand it over.” From them I learned serenity, which we owe to the president.
He said that “President Nicolás Maduro is not a circumstantial character,” but rather that he was “trained” by former president Hugo Chávez to carry out the “Bolivarian revolution.”
Regarding this, he asserted that the objective of Chavismo is to “maintain permanent mobilization in defense of the Bolivarian project”, which is why they remain “committed and unwavering to defend sovereignty.”
“If they are Monroe, we are Simón Bolívar,” said Maduro Guerra. He pointed out that with the action of the United States “international law has been violated, is despised and was violated in all its senses. International law does not protect positions and symbols, it protects human beings (…) Today those who violate that right not only attack Venezuela, they attack humanity.
The deputy reiterated that “sooner rather than later” both his father and Cilia Flores “will be with us and thanks to the struggle of the Venezuelan people inside and outside the country, they will return.” He also thanked the “unconditional support” with his family who, he said, “is being persecuted because we are not affordable.”
With a broken voice he said: “The country is in our hands, dad, and soon you will see the boys, Cilia, you will see them.”
Democratic Alliance wants to “lend a shoulder”
Timoteo Zambrano (Cambiemos), on behalf of the Democratic Alliance, repudiated the “permanent” siege by the United States. He assured that with the election of Donald Trump “we knew that he was coming to destructure the world.”
“We alert and warn, now he finally manages to enter our country, because that is a reality and with the harsh reality for our people that he was capable of kidnapping the president of this country and his wife, which we reject and condemn,” said the parliamentarian.
Zambrano pointed out that, given the circumstances, it is necessary to rebuild “the broad path of our sovereignty”, a task of which he warned the ruling party “they cannot continue alone.”
«They see us weak, parliamentary colleagues, installing this parliament today gives us strengths… but the strength of this parliament is needed so that your transitional government (of Delcy Rodríguez) has the strength to face international stalking and the permanent aggression of Donald Trump, but for the majority faction of the government to understand that they cannot and must do it alone. “Here is the shoulder of the Democratic Alliance,” he expressed.
On behalf of the Alliance, he proposed a different shortlist to the board of directors: Rubén Limas as president, José Brito as first vice president, and Alfonso Campos Jessurum as second vice president. PSUV deputies Pedro Infante and Grecia Colmenarez ended up filling those positions along with Jorge Rodríguez.
UNT-Unica demands freedom for political prisoners
The UNT-Unica parliamentary group, made up of 12 deputies, accused that in “the last five years they have not legislated for Venezuelans, and we are here to do it differently.” In a statement, read by Stalin González, it was said that these parliamentarians want to “give light and voice to the country’s real problems.”
Among these problems is recovering democratic institutions, the release of political prisoners, as well as “economic emergency” measures.
“We will not be accomplices nor will we accept a façade institutionality,” stated the bench, which demanded the immediate cessation of persecution, the criminalization of dissidence and the release of all political prisoners. “That is why we ask for an amnesty… it is the gesture of the State that Venezuela deserves.”
“Only by seeking agreements and separating conflicts can we guarantee democratic governance… politics only makes sense if it serves the people,” they insisted.
The bench recorded in writing the rejection of the proposals for boards of directors made by the ruling party and the Democratic Alliance.
After González finished his speech, Tomás Guanipa took out a t-shirt with the phrase “freedom for political prisoners” and called for the release of the detainees, an issue that heated up tempers within the chamber. The deputy’s brother, former parliamentarian Juan Pablo Guanipa, has been detained since May 23, 2025 for alleged “conspiracy.”
Even Tomás Guanipa was identified by the Minister of the Interior and Justice, Diosdado Cabello, as a “fugitive” in the alleged conspiracy plot in which his brother was involved.
Soto Rojas limited himself to commenting that “the debate will be fruitful, extraordinary and interesting because many things must be clarified.”
Recognition of the dead of January 3
Luis Augusto Romero (Avanzada Progresista) remembered the civilians and soldiers killed by the bombings in various parts of Caracas and La Guaira in the early hours of Saturday, January 3. “Those boys are martyrs of the country and deserve our respect and recognition.”
“This country cannot stand one more revenge, this country cannot stand one more revenge, Venezuelans demand unity from us, unity in the face of foreign aggression,” he claimed. Likewise, he joined the calls for the release of all political prisoners who are “away from their families.”
Romero insisted on the “commitment” of the National Assembly “to those boys who with courage and bravery gave their lives in the early hours of January 3, just 48 hours ago,” for which he asked to evaluate “support for the wounded and relatives of those victims,” as well as post-mortem decorations.
*Journalism in Venezuela is carried out in a hostile environment for the press with dozens of legal instruments in place to punish the word, especially the laws “against hate”, “against fascism” and “against the blockade.” This content was written taking into consideration the threats and limits that, consequently, have been imposed on the dissemination of information from within the country.
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