CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) 鈥� The fallout from Venezuela’s has evolved into a major test for acting President Delcy Rodr铆guez, sending her scrambling to prevent the humanitarian disaster from becoming a political one as her mandate as interim leader expires Friday.
A day after Rodr铆guez the competence of her government’s relief effort at her first news conference since the June 24 disaster, her main rival, exiled Venezuelan Nobel Peace Prize laureate issued her own appeal.
Machado on Friday argued that the government’s quake response exposed its critical weaknesses and that she should return to Venezuela to help “the transition process, especially after the tragedy.鈥�
“My presence stabilizes the situation; it is part of the organizing forces that the country needs at a time when the total absence of the state has become evident,” Machado said, referring to of the government鈥檚 earthquake response as slow and disorganized. 鈥淭he country needs figures it can trust.鈥� She spoke to reporters from Panama.
The quakes have and injured over 12,500 others, according tallies released Friday by the government. Machado’s opposition movement has set up an online database to locate the missing 鈥� a list of 36,000 people as of Friday. The party has mobilized volunteers to collect donations in Venezuela and solicited aid from the country’s vast diaspora.
Machado was barred from running in a 2024 presidential election in which claimed victory. Vote tallies that the opposition collected from voting machines used in the election showed that the candidate Machado endorsed, , beat Maduro by a more than 2-to-1 margin.
The US praises Rodr铆guez, blocks Machado
When the earthquakes hit, Machado saw an opening to return home for the first time after fleeing in a Nobel Peace Prize in Norway. Ever since the United States captured Maduro in a in January, Machado and calling for a democratic transition.
But the Trump administration has since Maduro’s ouster, praising her of the country鈥檚 lucrative oil sector.
Two senior U.S. officials, speaking on condition of anonymity to disclose private diplomatic discussions, told The Associated Press that the Trump administration has grown frustrated with Machado and dissuaded her from returning to Venezuela in the aftermath of the earthquakes.
One official said that Machado had sought assistance from Washington for ferrying her to Venezuela from the Caribbean island of Cura莽ao and also from Panama.
The second official said the U.S. suspected she wanted to return to lead protests against Rodr铆guez and push for political change at a time when the focus should be on quake recovery. This official added that the Trump administration could not prevent Machado’s return but was not in a position to facilitate it.
Earthquake fallout becomes political
Upon learning of Machado鈥檚 plans, Rodr铆guez shut down commercial air traffic into Caracas, the U.S. official said. Those canceled flights were set to bring hundreds of relief workers to assist with earthquake recovery efforts, the official said.
Seemingly concerned that anger over the earthquake response could jeopardize her leadership, Rodr铆guez on Thursday blamed any criticism of the government on what she called 鈥渘arratives manufactured in propaganda laboratories.”
She claimed that rescue crews deployed immediately with adequate equipment to disaster zones 鈥� contrary to that they were left alone to search for their loved ones without official teams or heavy machinery for the first 48 hours.
鈥淭hose propaganda operations, driven by partisan political interests, are despicable,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e did not wait one day, two days or three days. We activated immediately.鈥�
Rodr铆guez went on to say that thousands of civil and military rescue workers as well as 11 international field hospitals had been deployed to quake-affected areas, adding that the government had approved the creation of a fund to receive donations for reconstruction.
On Friday, state-run media broadcast her visiting Hern谩n Alberto Gil Flores, a 43-year-old security guard pried from a collapsed basement after surviving nearly eight days under the rubble, in his hospital bed. His Thursday served as a rare bright spot in the days since the earthquakes.
Unclear what happens when mandate expires
Under Venezuela鈥檚 constitution, temporary absences are to be filled by the vice president 鈥� which was Rodr铆guez鈥檚 former role under Maduro 鈥� , after which they can be extended by the national assembly for an additional 90 days.
On Friday, that 180-day interim period expired. There was no immediate comment from authorities on what, if anything, they would do in response to the expiration of Rodr铆guez鈥檚 mandate.
The National Assembly, controlled by Rodr铆guez鈥檚 party, can trigger a snap election if lawmakers declare the post permanently vacant.
A humanitarian crisis brews
International organizations and governments, including the U.S., have pledged hundreds of millions of dollars in emergency relief aid to stave off a full-blown humanitarian catastrophe in Venezuela. With infrastructure and sewer systems damaged, aid workers are scrambling to prevent the spread of disease through contaminated water.
But nine days after the quakes, the scale of human suffering is still coming into focus.
鈥淲e know that there are still dead bodies under the collapsed buildings, and it’s difficult to give a number on this, but several thousands for sure,鈥� said Andreas Spaett, the Venezuela country coordinator for international aid group Doctors Without Borders. 鈥淚 do believe this is one of the major natural catastrophes in the history of humanity.鈥�
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DeBre reported from Buenos Aires, Argentina. Associated Press reporter Matthew Lee in Washington contributed to this report.
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