Venezuela's Interim Leader Faces Authority Crisis as Earthquake Response Unravels

Delcy Rodríguez's mandate as interim president expired as 2,295 confirmed deaths from June 24 earthquakes fueled public anger and triggered political pressure. Opposition leader María Corina Machado demanded permission to return and help. Some U.S. Republicans warned against aid to Venezuela, citing democratic concerns rather than humanitarian need. Rodríguez, Nicolás Maduro's former vice president, has pursued economic liberalization while preserving the repressive apparatus intact—a combination now tested by disaster-driven scrutiny of her legitimacy and capacity.