Maduro’s Image Fades as Venezuela Pivots Toward Washington
VENEZUELA · POLITICS
Key Facts
—The shift: Nicolas Maduro’s image is being removed from public life months after his January capture.
—The leader: acting President Delcy Rodriguez has reshuffled the cabinet and military and now leads a state overhaul.
—The economy: her signature move has opened the oil sector to private and foreign investment.
—The oversight: Washington says oil revenue flows into accounts it controls, an arrangement without modern precedent.
—Latin American impact: the reversal reshapes the region’s largest oil reserves and its political map.
Months after Nicolas Maduro was removed from power, his successor is quietly erasing his image and steering Venezuela toward Washington, with the country’s vast oil wealth at the center of the turn.
A Face Disappears From Public Life
For years Maduro’s face was everywhere in Venezuela, on murals, state television and official propaganda. According to an AFP report, the new government is now removing it gradually. The official slogan marking 100 days of the new administration was “the start of a new era.”
The change followed a dramatic event. Maduro was captured on January 3 by US forces, along with his wife Cilia Flores, and both were transferred to a prison in New York on drug-trafficking charges. Early calls for his release have since faded from official speeches.
Power shifted quickly. Two days after the capture, Delcy Rodriguez, the former vice president, was sworn in as acting president by the Supreme Court. She has since replaced much of the cabinet she inherited and reshuffled the senior military command.
An Oil Opening Under US Oversight
The economic turn is the heart of the story. In late January, Rodriguez signed a law opening the oil sector to private and foreign investment, reversing a core principle of the socialist model in place for more than two decades. Oil is Venezuela’s main source of income.
The reform aims to lure capital back to a battered industry. US firm Chevron, long the main foreign operator, anchors the early activity, and Washington has eased a series of sanctions in phases. Venezuela holds the world’s largest proven oil reserves.
The terms are unusual. US officials say oil revenue flows into accounts under Treasury control, licenses can be revoked at any time, and deals with China, Russia or Iran need prior US approval. President Donald Trump has said his administration is effectively directing Venezuelan oil sales.
The Numbers Behind Venezuela’s Reset
The output gap is stark. Venezuela now pumps somewhere around 0.8 to 1 million barrels a day, far below its 1990s peak of roughly 3 million. Decades of underinvestment, mismanagement and sanctions hollowed out the sector.
Officials are betting on a fast rebound. The state oil company has set a target of raising output by about 18% in 2026, and Chevron has spoken of larger gains over a longer horizon. Analysts caution that such goals have been missed before.
The stakes reach beyond Venezuela. A sustained recovery would add heavy crude to global markets, with possible effects on prices. It would also redraw the economic map of a country that has seen more than seven million people emigrate since 2014.
A Movement Divided
The pivot has split the ruling movement. Rodriguez has defended her loyalty to Maduro while pressing reforms that some allies see as a betrayal. She has said her choices serve Venezuela’s interests under heavy outside pressure.
Critics within the movement have gone public. Former lawmaker Mario Silva warned the country risked becoming, in his words, a “vulgar protectorate” of the United States, in an open letter to a senior minister. His comments drew sharp rebukes from other loyalists.
Analysts read the moment in different ways. Some argue the party must accept a reality shaped by Washington to survive, and that Maduro may fade faster if the economy improves. Others see the cracks as a deeper fracture in a movement that long projected unity.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Delcy Rodriguez?
She is Venezuela’s acting president and former vice president, sworn in by the Supreme Court two days after Maduro’s January capture. She is a longtime figure in the ruling movement.
What changed in the oil sector?
A January law opened the industry to private and foreign investment, reversing the state-control model. US firms anchor the early activity, with revenue reported to flow through accounts under US Treasury control.
How much oil does Venezuela produce?
Estimates vary, but output is around 0.8 to 1 million barrels a day, well below the roughly 3 million of the 1990s. The government targets an 18% rise in 2026.
Why does this matter for Latin America?
Venezuela holds the world’s largest proven oil reserves, so a recovery could affect global supply. The political reversal also reshapes the balance of power across the region.
What is happening to Maduro now?
He is being held in the United States on drug-trafficking charges. His public image inside Venezuela is being phased out as the new government distances itself from him.
Connected Coverage
For more on the region’s politics and energy, see The Rio Times on political change in Bolivia and on oil revenue and fuel policy in Brazil.
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