Despite the loss of influence of Juan Guaido – whose presidency ” temp worker ” was dissolved by members of the opposition parliament – the United States has made it known that it still does not consider Nicolas Maduro as the legitimate president of Venezuela, still deeming his 2018 election to be fraudulent.
“Our approach towards Nicolas Maduro has not changed. He is not the legitimate ruler of Venezuela”declared to the press, Tuesday January 3, the spokesman of the American diplomacy, Ned Price. “We continue to recognize the only democratically elected institution in Venezuela today, and that is the 2015 National Assembly”he added.
The State Department considers that the assets of the Venezuelan government in the United States, including those of the state oil company PDVSA, must remain under the authority of the Venezuelan parliament elected in 2015 and controlled by the opposition, which said legitimate by considering that the 2020 legislative elections, won by the Chavista camp of President Nicolas Maduro, were fraudulent.
Sanctions regime ‘stays in place’
“Our regime of sanctions and restrictions against Venezuela remains in place”Mr. Price said. “From what I understand, elected members of the National Assembly are having internal discussions on how they are going to control these assets abroad”.
The government of Nicolas Maduro had broken with the United States in 2019, the year in which the administration of Donald Trump had recognized the opponent Juan Guaido as interim president of Venezuela. In an attempt to drive Mr. Maduro from power, Washington had adopted a battery of sanctions against Caracas, including an embargo on Venezuelan oil.
Failing to depose Maduro, deputies of the old parliament on Friday ended the presidency and the government “temporaries” of Mr. Guaido, who had no real power but nevertheless controlled Venezuelan assets abroad, estimated at 24 billion dollars (about 22.7 million euros) by Mr. Maduro. The Assembly’s vote against Juan Guaido comes in a context of division of the opposition which failed to unite during the regional elections of 2021 won by the power and while the presidential election of 2024 sharpens the appetites.
Relationship warming
Even if the current president Joe Biden formally continues not to recognize Mr. Maduro as president of Venezuela, the oil crisis caused by the war in Ukraine led to a warming of relations.
The White House sent emissaries to Caracas in 2022. It eased sanctions against Venezuela after a breakthrough in negotiations between power and opposition, notably allowing the oil giant Chevron to operate in the Latin American country for the next six months.
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“Venezuela is ready, totally ready, to move towards a process of normalization of diplomatic, consular, political relations, with this government of the United States and with those who may come next”Nicolas Maduro even said during an interview with French journalist Ignacio Ramonet, broadcast by Venezuelan public television on New Year’s Day.