By Jolie Coviello, ’27

Staff Writer

Oftentimes, having a deeper understanding of a nation’s history allows us to understand why it takes certain actions in the present. Venezuela is one nation in particular with a long and tumultuous history, which must be taken into account to understand the current political situation. 

It’s easy to see why many Venezuelans anticipate reform with the capture of President Nicolás Maduro by the US military, which was ordered by President Trump in early January. In fact, a 2017 poll by Datanálisis, a respected Venezuelan research firm, showed that 80 percent of Venezuelans desired Maduro’s removal. President Maduro has caused great harm to his nation’s economy, government, and people since taking office in 2013. Due to the severe economic debilitation, persistent social unrest, and blatant election fraud under Maduro’s administration, conditions nationwide have worsened. Venezuela is experiencing one of the largest displacement crises in the world as millions try to escape terrible living conditions. Over 80 percent of Venezuelans live in poverty under a socialist government. The murder rate of natives has increased to 91 percent, surpassing that of the most dangerous cities in the world. According to research by the United Nations Refugee Agency, over 23 percent of the population has fled the country since Maduro was elected into office. 

Maduro’s predecessor, Hugo Chávez, built an economy dependent on oil exports. During his presidency, oil generated significant income for Venezuela, making up approximately 95 percent of export earnings at its height. This boost in national income provided an incentive for the government to spend over $230 billion on social programs and nationalization. Although Chávez succeeded in reducing poverty by 26 percent with social welfare programs–federal food subsidies and improvements in education and health care, these reforms relied on a thriving economy. When Maduro came into power, he failed to adjust to a dynamic market, and a significant decrease in oil prices proved to be devastating for the economy. Venezuela fell into a massive spending deficit―around 17 percent of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP). This number only increased over the course of Maduro’s presidency.

Now, Venezuela has the highest rate of inflation worldwide—almost 946 percent at its peak, making food and medicine virtually inaccessible. After oil prices fell, its GDP declined a whopping 35 percent — more than that of the United States during the Great Depression. And instead of working to resolve the economic crisis, Maduro gave government officials, military elites, and close business associates access to an exclusive exchange rate, which they could profit from in the black market. As the gap between the black market exchange rate and hyperinflation rates grew, Maduro’s elite allies continued to profit from economic debilitation, often working with the Central Bank–Venezuela’s national bank–to artificially maintain low exchange rates. 

Along with crippling the economy, Maduro has been accused of electoral fraud by multiple democratic countries and organizations, turning out elections that were statistically improbable and did not qualify as democratic. For fear that he was losing power from the representative branch of government—the National Constituent Assembly, he replaced the body altogether in 2020. This led to massive protests nationwide. Instead of resolving this issue, Maduro utilized the military and law enforcement to attack, oppress, and detain peaceful protestors. Many propaganda outlets blamed the violence on the opposition, despite Maduro having escalating the situation. 

Free speech is not a constitutional right in Venezuela. In fact, the Human Rights Watch covered the brutality, torture, and political persecution of protestors nationwide. They detailed how armed security forces and pro-government groups attacked protestors using extreme force, causing dozens of deaths and hundreds of injuries. Thousands of civilians were detained and prosecuted in military courts without trial. The government also sent intelligence agents into homes or onto the streets to detain people without reason and at random. 

On top of having no due process, those in custody have been subjected to various forms of torture and abuse. In a joint report by the Human Rights Watch and the Penal Forum, there have been at least 88 cases involving at least 314 people whose human rights were infringed upon. Despite obvious evidence of human rights violations, no indication had been made of any legal consequences for the aggressors’ actions, which the Human Rights Watch called a humanitarian crisis. Therefore, high-level officials not only bear responsibility for these actions but blatantly permit them. The majority of Venezuelans—90 percent—desire government reform. Despite their persistent protests since Maduro’s election, there has been little to no reform in government.

Since the capture of President Maduro, Delcy Rodríguez — the Vice President of Venezuela — has taken charge of Venezuelan goods and government as the acting president of the regime. Rodríguez has publicly reinforced the legitimacy of the regime while President Maduro remains in US custody. It seems as though Rodríguez does not hold favor with the majority of Venezuelans, who are impoverished and increasingly restless.

The leader of the opposition, María Corina Machado, has attempted to run for President in the past but was barred by the Venezuelan government. Despite the government corruption, Machado believes that Venezeula can return to a fair democracy, starting with the removal of Maduro. On the other hand, the severe economic debilitation, persistent social unrest, and blatant election fraud in Venezuela are a significant precedent that prevents a full transition to a democratic government. After all, mass protests have been omnipresent for a decade, and they’ve caused little change in government. But Machado stated that the Venezuelan people have already unified over political oppression, so they will succeed in reforming the government together, as 90 percent of Venezuelans share the desire to reform the corrupt administration. In her opinion, the absence of religious, social, and racial tensions within the populace is a promising sign of national unity, yet the obvious political tension between the administration and its people remains prevalent. The future remains uncertain in the midst of a dynamic political environment.

Currently, the Trump administration is attempting to reinstate diplomatic relations with Venezuela, despite having just arrested its leader. President Trump has made some progress, encouraging a new amnesty bill in Venezeula that could lead to the release of dissenters, including politicians, activists, lawyers and many others. This would be a public acknowledgement that the Venezeulan government has held hundreds of people in prison for political motivations, marking the beginning of much-needed reform in modern Venezuela.

Works Cited

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“Eight Million and More Vote in Venezuela Election.” Thevincentian.com, 2017, thevincentian.com/eight-million-and-more-vote-in-venezuela-election-p13696-149.htm. Accessed 21 Jan. 2026.

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Human Rights Watch. “Crackdown on Dissent | Brutality, Torture, and Political Persecution in Venezuela.” Human Rights Watch, 15 Jan. 2019, http://www.hrw.org/report/2017/11/29/crackdown-dissent/brutality-torture-and-political-persecution-venezuela.

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