This Saturday, January 3, the president of the United States, Donald Trump, stated that his government is ready for a new, stronger attack, although he hopes it will not be necessary.
“We are going to manage the country until a safe transition is achieved.” This was stated by US President Donald Trump, who mentioned Vice President Delcy Rodríguez as the person they would work with.
However, later the vice president, during a meeting with the Defense Council, assured that “the only legitimate president of Venezuela is Nicolás Maduro.”
In her statements, the official did not refer to Donald Trump’s allegations about his alleged “collaboration” with the United States in the transition process.
After the capture of Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores, the scenarios regarding the exercise of political power in Venezuela are marked by uncertainty.
The capture and extraction of Maduro and Flores is an unprecedented event in Venezuelan history, so the situation transcends a constitutional analysis.
Political scientist Enderson Sequera affirmed that those called to lead a democratic transition in the country are Edmundo González Urrutia and María Corina Machado.
He recalled that on July 28, 2024, there were presidential elections and Venezuelans expressed their will.
«It is up to them as the legitimate leadership to direct a transition in the country. “It is the legitimate leadership, the leadership elected by Venezuelans,” said Sequera.
According to the minutes compiled by the opposition’s electoral witnesses in the presidential elections, Edmundo González Urrutia was the winner with more than seven million votes. However, the National Electoral Council offered different results – without publishing the disaggregated data – and proclaimed Nicolás Maduro as president.
The electoral records rest in the vaults of the Central Bank of Panama, according to statements from the Venezuelan Command.
In December 2024, González Urrutia announced that the vice presidency of Venezuela would be in the hands of Machado.
Regarding the participation of the United States in the transition process in Venezuela, Sequera pointed out that Venezuela will need its support, particularly to provide security and help in the reconstruction of the country.
And although Trump made no mention of how long he will “administer Venezuela,” Sequera said that reconstruction and support from the United States should occur in a “very short term” and “as soon as possible.”
Constitution is a dead letter
The Constitution establishes the forms and mechanisms to replace a President of the Republic in the event of an absolute vacancy, that is, due to death, resignation, dismissal by the TSJ, permanent physical or mental incapacity.
According to article 233, it is up to Delcy Rodríguez as vice president to assume power and call elections in 30 days. If the absolute absence occurs in the second half of the period, it is established that the vice president completes the period.
“This is what it should be,” said the political scientist while emphasizing that for Chavismo the Constitution of Venezuela is a dead letter due to the constant violations of the norm.
In this sense, he stated that beyond the constitutional analysis, at this moment a power analysis is applied: “Maduro and Cilia fell, but not the dictatorship.”
The National Assembly, with a pro-government majority, called a special session for Monday, January 5 – the day the new parliament is to be installed – with the purpose of swearing in the new president of Venezuela, as indicated in the call.
Resist or understand
The analyst pointed out that the most important thing is to know what decision the Chavista high command is going to make: “Are they going to resist or are they going to understand that the time has come to negotiate a transition to democracy?” he commented.
In his opinion, the ball is “on the side of the Chavista political elite that still remains in Caracas and has to decide whether to resist and sacrifice itself for Nicolás Maduro or understand that it is time to negotiate a transition to democracy in Venezuela.”
Sequera expressed that the transition involves understanding “that the country has an elected president who is Edmundo González Urrutia and that there must be an orderly transfer of power.”
In the event that the Chavista leadership decides to dig in and resist, he noted that there is likely to be more bloodshed in the country.
If, on the contrary, Sequera explained, the ruling party understands that the time has come to step aside and a transition begins, an orderly transfer of command could be seen in the coming weeks or months and perhaps the return to Venezuela of Edmundo González and María Corina Machado.
This Saturday, January 3, the president of the United States, Donald Trump, stated that his government is ready for a new, stronger attack, although he hopes it will not be necessary.
*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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