The disturbing treatment of key Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Pablo Guanipa typifies Venezuela’s current challenge: Freedom is within reach, but it still remains elusive under the continued autocratic rule.
A center-right political leader, former presidential candidate and first vice president of the National Assembly, Guanipa was a primary target of the regime. Several weeks after American troops removed Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro from Caracas, he was released from captivity after more than eight months in prison. Just hours later, he was picked up, hooded, and forced into house arrest, where he has remained ever since.
Democracy and freedom in Venezuela are possible, but not under the current regime. The United States has an opportunity to support Venezuela’s path to democracy. Or it can solidify the current autocratic rule, undermining the interests of the Venezuelan people and the United States. A democratic government in Caracas will put the country on a path to stability that is needed to end abuse and corruption, allow for economic prosperity, and deter narcotrafficking.
The United States should push for the full restoration of the rights of Guanipa, other political prisoners, the exiled opposition, and indeed all Venezuelan people. It should work with the democratic opposition and legally elected exiled leadership to set a course for nationwide elections. This is in the interests of both Venezuelan citizens and the United States, which seeks a stable partner that will stave off the narcotrafficking, refugee flows, and insecurity that has characterized Venezuela for years.
Maduro’s removal created an opportunity for Venezuela to move toward democracy after a quarter of a century under dictatorship. And yet, that chance is being stymied by a group of individuals – namely the administration of Delcy Rodríguez, Maduro’s former vice president – that is holding on to unearned power.
Rodríguez has shrewdly cooperated with American economic demands in Venezuela to maintain her power but has unsurprisingly shown no signs of moving on a path to democracy.
Despite American requests, 644 political prisoners remain unjustly detained, according to Foro Pena, a leading Venezuelan human rights organization. Rodríguez announced an amnesty for political prisoners on Feb. 19 – a step that isn’t required for the release of these individuals – and yet only 16 people have since been released.
Other promises to release prisoners haven’t been honored. Rodríguez’s brother, Jorge Rodríguez, who serves as the president of the National Assembly, also promised that all political prisoners would be let go no later than Feb. 13. Delcy Rodríguez made a similar promise in January but released only a portion of those imprisoned unjustly. The United States should call upon the regime to immediately liberate all individuals imprisoned for their political and civic activism, including Guanipa.
Additionally, Venezuelan political leaders who were forced into exile haven’t been allowed to return. This includes Nobel Peace Prize winner María Corina Machado, who was disqualified by Maduro from running for president, and Machado’s handpicked replacement candidate Edmundo González, who overwhelmingly won the 2024 election.
There are no signs or plans for nationwide elections. While one could argue that holding elections or honoring the previous elections immediately after Maduro’s deposition would have been unwise, announcing plans, and beginning the process, to hold elections in the next six to eight months is a necessary signal that the will of the Venezuelan people will be honored and the United States won’t support the unelected Rodríguez regime indefinitely.
The United States seeks a partner that is “friendly, stable, prosperous … and democratic,” as Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated in Jan. 28 Senate testimony.
U.S. interests are served by having a democratic administration in power that can govern transparently and without corruption, represent the will and interests of the Venezuelan people, and be a reliable partner. Rodríguez isn’t that; she is an unelected autocrat who inherited power only because her unelected boss is facing justice for his narcotrafficking charges. And she is facing significant internal power struggles with others in her administration who have deep ties to the abuses and corruption that have plagued Venezuela for years.
The transition from autocracy to democracy is undoubtedly challenging, as it has been in many countries. But rarely are there so many opportunities for democratic transition as there are in Venezuela. There is elected leadership that earned the support of the Venezuelan people. There are opposition parties, journalists, and civil society members keen to participate in a democratic transition. There is a charismatic Nobel Peace Prize winner who is unwavering in her commitment to democracy and partnering with the United States.
The United States should seize this opportunity to support democracy in Venezuela. If Venezuela’s glimpse of democracy is as fleeting as Guanipa’s moments of freedom, the United States will miss a major opportunity to help bring stability, prosperity, and liberty to this nation.
