Have Trump's Venezuela promises come true since Maduro's removal? | Global News Podcast

In practice, still, I think, for a lot. of ordinary Venezuelans, not a lot has. changed. The same government is still in. charge, although remarkably, it is now. much closer to the United States, having. once been arch-enemies. The most. tangible change, and where I think. people are noticing a difference in. their lives, has been almost more of a. democratic one. People are Well, we have. seen, most notably, the release of quite. a lot of political prisoners, although. there are still many who are behind. bars. Uh I interviewed quite when I was.

there, including some high-profile. opposition figures like Jesus Santomas, Maria Oropeza, Juan Pablo Guanipa, all. opposition figures who had been detained. under Nicolas Maduro's regime, but were. now freed. As well as that, I think. people were feeling a lot more free in. the way they talked about the. government. People were openly. criticizing the government in a way that. they may have previously felt. uncomfortable doing so. There were more. protests happening, including some. outside prisons, but also, there have.

been protests by university students, by. trade unions, people in the streets. demanding changes, all things which I. think would have been pretty much. unheard of before this intervention, because people were so afraid of the. repercussions. that that they could face from the state. if they were to criticize the government. and the authorities. So, I think that is. one of the major changes that I've seen, people feeling less afraid, like some of. that fear has started to lift. Although, I think one thing that did strike me was. how people are perhaps frustrated to see.

some of the tangible changes that they. hoped for. And and by that, I mean, particularly, some kind of path towards. free and fair elections again, but also, some of the economic changes that the. US, in particular, has has so talked up. in recent months. >> President Trump said that US oil. companies were going to go into. Venezuela, they were going to fix the. infrastructure, and importantly, make. money for the country. Has there been. any evidence of that? >> Well, production of of oil has increased.

in Venezuela. and that has it seems contributed to to. growth in general of the economy. We know there's about more than 1. million barrels of oil reportedly being. produced, but it is hard to say I think. yet at this point whether that is. going to represent real development. longer term, real economic change for. for ordinary Venezuelans or if this is a. short-term rebound because of some of. those US deals that have been struck. We. know that there have been deals struck. with with some oil mining companies.

We know as well that through US pressure. Venezuela has changed its laws to allow. more foreign investment in its oil and. and mining industries, which has. essentially opened up the industry to. more private investment. But I think as I say one thing that. struck me being there particularly in. some of the areas that are due to. potentially receive some of this foreign. investment in oil and gas is that. ordinary people don't really yet know. whether that's going to impact them. Will that create more jobs for ordinary.

Venezuelans? Is that going to have a a. tangible impact on the infrastructure. that has been neglected for many many. years in some of these areas? Is it going to be something that that. produces a sort of trickle down effect. to the economy and creates more money. for them because inflation is still. one of the highest levels in the world. and also outside of the the sort of. political bubble that is Caracas, people. are still really struggling with things. like severe water shortages, power cuts. that really have a heavy impact on the. economy. So I think some of those.

day-to-day economic changes are still. yet to be felt by people even if we are. seeing on a macro level some of that. investment from US companies for. example. >> And away from the economy, people are. still calling for free and fair. elections. That hasn't been a change. yet, has it? >> No, at the moment we haven't seen a. timeline for fresh elections from either. Venezuela or the US as well who have. been. of course since that intervention very. much or heavily involved in in. essentially what the government does in.

Venezuela. Uh the what we have seen from the US at. least is this kind of plan that they've. set out where they've talked about a. three-stage plan, stabilization, recovery, and then transition. The. stabilization phase I understand is what. they see as already having happened. essentially a a move to a a new. who was. Nicolás Maduro's vice president. I think. what the US thought is that by. introducing a new figure like her they.

could essentially stabilize that the. country again. have a government that is still. functioning, but then they now see. themselves as in the recovery. phase. And by that I think they they are. referring to primarily economic. recovery. And and that is in essence what we've. just been discussing. The the return of. some foreign investment for example into. some of Venezuela's key industries. What. we haven't heard much about at all is. that final stage, transition. What what.

exactly do they have in mind for a. timeline of of democratic transition? I. think that is something which is. increasingly frustrating Venezuelans. Many I spoke to said they were desperate. to see fresh and fair elections again. Although interestingly quite a lot of. opposition figures who I spoke to when I. was there and have spoken to you since. do feel like there are changes that need. to happen in their view before elections. can take place. For example, they feel. like they need to see the release of all. political prisoners because otherwise.

they think it would be unfair to hold. elections now when there are some. opposition figures that are still in. prison. There are some opposition. activists or supporters still in prison. They want to see the full release of of. all of those people before holding any. kind of democratic process. They also. want to see. big reforms to things like the judiciary. and the electoral system because those. institutions are still very much run by. loyalists to Nicolas Maduro and they. feel like it would be. not a fully fair and transparent.

election if those institutions are still. essentially. run by the the political party of. Nicolas Maduro and his allies. >> And how strong is the political. opposition in Venezuela right now? >> It's interesting this question because. they see themselves as having a a. mandate after the last election where. they published ballots from the. electronic voting machines after that. vote showing that they, not not Nicolas. Maduro, had won that election. The. opposition's main leader, Maria Corina. Machado, still enjoys very significant.

support in the country. When you speak. to people, a lot of people say they. would like to see her one day return to. Venezuela and and and have a chance at. running in an election. But I think the. relevancy of the opposition has taken a. knock as a result of the US essentially. endorsing Delcy Rodriguez to to be the. interim president in the country. In 2024 when I when I went there for the. for the last elections, there were huge. rallies, social media campaigns, crowds.

cheering in support of the opposition. They had this very big momentum and I. think Donald Trump, as I say, endorsing. Rodriguez in the interim has slightly. taken the wind out of their their sails. and their challenge, I think, is to make. sure that their leaders aren't. marginalized, that they they retain and. regain some of the relevance that they. they have both in Venezuela but also on. an international stage as well. Uh, one challenge for them at the moment is. that Maria Corina Machado herself hasn't. returned to Venezuela. She says she. wants to be back in Venezuela. She wants.

to be part of that democratic. transition. Uh, but some of her allies told me. earlier this year that they thought she. would be back in a few weeks and that. was sort of back in April or so, so. that's clearly. slipped. And I think it's it's tricky to. say. She's certainly keen to to be still. maintaining close relations with the. United States who she knows will be an. important partner for any future. Venezuelan government. She's had. meetings with Donald Trump, with Marco. Rubio as well in the US, but I think.

for reasons that I mentioned earlier, there are still. there is still a concern from the. opposition that there would need to be. significant reforms and changes before. any elections take place. >> And I guess from Washington's point of. view, they wouldn't want what they would. consider in inverted commas the wrong. person winning the election. >> Yeah, that's right. I think the US sees. itself in a very strong position at the. moment in Venezuela. After that intervention happened, Donald.

Trump and other members of his. administration were very explicit that. essentially. if Delcy Rodriguez and her. administration didn't do what they. wanted, then they could face a similar. fate to Nicolas Maduro. So in that. sense, while the US isn't actually. running the country in the way that. Donald Trump claimed after that. intervention happened, they are in you know, in practice able. to control a whole a huge amount. They. are the ones who were pushing for the.

release of political prisoners. They are. the ones that pushed the government to. to. liberalize its its oil and mining laws. to allow that US investment. They are. essentially managing a lot of what was. previously sanctioned oil sales. coming out of Venezuela. So they are. having huge economic influence, but also. political and social influence too. The. US Embassy's reopened in Caracas. The US. has been pretty much calling the shots. when it comes to even even things like.

sort of press access and freedoms at. times as well. So I think certainly the. US will be will be keen to make sure. that whoever is the next president of. Venezuela is going to work with them. very closely. If that was somebody like Maria Corina. Machado, then certainly she's she's. always allied herself with with Donald. Trump and with his administration. So I. think in that sense they know they've. got an ally there. I think what's. interesting though, and I'm speaking in. hypotheticals here, is that what they do.

have over Delcy Rodriguez, which they. might not have over a. a leader that Venezuelans had chosen at. the ballot box, is they do feel they. have this this degree of control over. her because of the threats that have. been made if she doesn't comply. I think it is worth stressing that that. again that Delcy Rodriguez is not. somebody who's ever been on the ballot. for Venezuelans to vote in as president. So I think that is another reason why. many Venezuelans are are frustrated that. she has essentially taken charge without.

any kind of democratic process. >> Ione, thanks so much. That was our South. America correspondent, Ione Wells. And. if you would like to hear more from the. Global News Podcast, click the link. below.