As her 180-day mandate as Venezuela's acting leader expires, Delcy Rodríguez issued a public defense of her government's response to a devastating earthquake that struck the nation's northern state of La Guaira. The powerful twin quakes, which occurred on June 24, have officially claimed more than 2,295 lives, though a non-governmental database lists over 38,000 people as missing.
Rodríguez, who previously served as deputy to former President Nicolás Maduro, faced mounting public criticism over the pace and efficiency of the rescue and recovery operations. She waited more than an hour after the initial tremors to make her first public statement and held her first news conference addressing the government's response eight days after the disaster. Relief organizations typically focus on finding survivors in the first 72 hours after a natural disaster, as the chances of survival diminish significantly with time.
Despite the extended timeline, rescuers were still working in hard-hit communities. On Thursday, an 43-year-old security guard was dramatically rescued from the basement of a collapsed mall after nearly eight days trapped beneath the rubble. Rodríguez insisted late Thursday that rescue efforts were not being scaled back, stating, "We have not closed the search-and-rescue phase. We are still in that stage because, according to our overall assessment, there are still active sites where we believe there may be survivors, even if there is only one."
Rodríguez pushed back against accusations of a slow or inadequate response, attributing public outrage to "narratives manufactured in propaganda laboratories" and alleging that rescue crews were deployed immediately with sufficient equipment. She claimed that complaints of residents being left to search for loved ones without official assistance for the first 48 hours were part of "propaganda operations, driven by partisan political interests."
She further stated that 11 international field hospitals and health workers from 33 countries had been deployed to the affected areas. The government has also approved the creation of a fund to receive donations for reconstruction. The United Nations Development Program estimates that the quakes caused approximately $6.7 billion in physical damage, representing about 6% of Venezuela's gross domestic product, not including long-term recovery costs.
Rodríguez's tenure as interim leader began with the backing of the Trump administration following Maduro's ouster. Her recent actions have focused on overseeing business-friendly reforms in the oil sector under U.S. pressure, with less emphasis on returning Venezuela to democratic processes. Under the Venezuelan constitution, a vice president can fill temporary presidential absences for up to 90 days, with extensions possible for another 90 days by the national assembly, totaling 180 days.
The expiration of Rodríguez's 180-day mandate on Friday raises questions about the future leadership and electoral processes. While the National Assembly, controlled by Rodríguez's party, can call for snap elections by declaring the post vacant, no timeline has been provided for democratic elections. The Trump administration had previously indicated that elections would occur once Venezuela and its economy were stabilized.
This situation follows disputed elections in 2024, in which Nicolás Maduro claimed victory while opposition leader María Corina Machado, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, was barred from running. An independent vote count by the opposition indicated Machado's candidate had won. Machado has pledged to return from exile to assist in earthquake recovery efforts, accusing Rodríguez's government of blocking her flight to Venezuela by closing airspace. The Trump administration has largely supported Rodríguez's efforts while distancing itself from Machado.