Leaked Footage Exposes Venezuela's Leadership Crisis Following US Intervention
A startling leaked video has provided unprecedented insight into the Venezuelan government's desperate attempts to control its narrative following the dramatic capture of former president Nicolás Maduro by United States forces. The recording, which surfaced through local journalism collective La Hora de Venezuela, reveals interim president Delcy Rodríguez making extraordinary claims about American threats while addressing regime-friendly influencers.
Death Threats and Fifteen-Minute Ultimatums
In the nearly two-hour meeting held just seven days after the US military operation, Rodríguez alleges that American forces presented her and other cabinet members with a chilling ultimatum. According to her account, delivered via speakerphone to assembled influencers, US troops gave key regime figures including interior minister Diosdado Cabello and congressional president Jorge Rodríguez just fifteen minutes to comply with Washington's demands.
"They gave us fifteen minutes to respond, or they would kill us," Rodríguez states in the recording. She further claims that American forces initially misled them about Maduro's fate, suggesting the former president and his wife Cilia Flores had been assassinated rather than captured.
A Regime in Damage Control Mode
The leaked footage offers a rare glimpse into the inner workings of Venezuela's Chavista regime as it scrambled to maintain control following the removal of its figurehead. Communications minister Freddy Ñáñez, who facilitated the meeting, can be heard vigorously defending Rodríguez against what he describes as "gossip, rumours, intrigues and attempts at discrediting" her leadership.
Ñáñez positions Rodríguez as "the only guarantee we have" for potentially bringing back Maduro while simultaneously navigating the new political landscape. The minister's remarks highlight the regime's acute awareness of potential internal fractures and the risk of being branded traitors by their own supporters.
Strategic Cooperation Amid Public Defiance
Rodríguez's recorded comments reveal the delicate balancing act she has maintained since assuming power. While publicly voicing defiance against American intervention, she simultaneously signals willingness to cooperate with Washington's demands. "The threats and the blackmail are constant," she tells the influencers, explaining her approach as one of "patience and strategic prudence."
She outlines three clear objectives for the regime: preserving peace, rescuing what she terms "our hostages," and crucially, "preserving political power." This admission underscores the primary concern of maintaining control despite dramatically changed circumstances.
Contradictory Rhetoric and Political Analysis
Political analyst Margarita López Maya, a retired professor at the Central University of Venezuela, suggests Rodríguez might be constructing a narrative specifically to maintain unity among the regime's base. "Everyone knows that Maduro's removal could only have happened with internal complicity," López Maya observes, questioning whether the alleged death threat actually occurred.
The regime has maintained seemingly contradictory positions since the US strike, flooding social media channels with anti-American rhetoric while simultaneously complying with Washington's demands. Ñáñez even claims that current arrangements, including US control over Venezuelan oil, represent "the plan that Maduro put on the table" rather than concessions to American pressure.
Regime Continuity Despite Leadership Change
Following the video's leak, Ñáñez was appointed environment minister in a cabinet reshuffle, while his successor Miguel Ángel Pérez Pirela established a social media account purportedly aimed at combating "fake news campaigns" about Venezuela. These moves suggest that despite Maduro's absence and ongoing rapprochement with the United States, the regime's fundamental characteristics remain unchanged.
López Maya outlines two possible paths forward for Venezuela: "One is that the country opens up to a democratic transition. The other is the one Chavismo is clearly playing with: obeying the US, but trying to buy time to see whether they can remain in power through an authoritarian option with some economic openings."
The leaked video provides compelling evidence of a regime in crisis, desperately attempting to maintain unity and control while navigating unprecedented political challenges following American intervention.
