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"Delcy's image strengthens at the UN" Pablo Quintero
Pablo Quintero analyzes the political impact of the meeting between Delcy Rodríguez and Donald Trump, as well as the block on María Corina Machado’s return. The political scientist argues that the situation redefines internal balances within chavismo and strengthens Rodríguez as Washington’s interlocutor.
“Is this the transition?”: the photo and the blockade that baffles Venezuelans
Unease and silence after the meeting between Delcy and Trump and news of seven failed attempts by Machado to return
While Machado remained in Panama, the photograph of Trump and Rodríguez signaled the measure of the new power. Quintero believes it strengthens the image of the interim president, promotes a government more identified with ‘delcismo’ than with madurismo, and may cause friction among chavista sectors clinging to the anti-imperialist narrative. It also enshrines her, in his view, as Washington’s main interlocutor.
Worn out by protest
Quintero considers it unlikely that the case will provoke political protests. “Venezuelans are worn out by street protest,” he argues. He believes that expectations about dialogue, oil revenue and foreign investment now weigh more. That fatigue explains the simultaneous scene in Caracas: the ruling party mobilized to back Rodríguez and an opposition unable to bring its main figure back to the country.
Pablo Andrés Quintero, a political scientist consulted by this newspaper, called the blockade “inexplicable and incongruous” in those exact words. He believes the obstacles could come from the Trump administration, which since January has shown discomfort with a return that could destabilize the oil agreement with Caracas. This is his analysis, not a proven fact. He says part of the opposition avoids talking about it so as not to strain relations.