Jorge Rodríguez in Spanish newspaper El País. Photo: El País.
The interview granted by the president of Venezuela’s National Assembly, Jorge Rodríguez, to the Spanish newspaper El País offers a detailed account of the position of the Venezuelan political leadership at a moment of reconfiguration. The leader emphasizes the cohesion of Chavismo, the defense of institutional order, and the need to move toward a new political cycle centered on stability and economic development. Within this framework, his statements outline a consistent narrative about Venezuela’s present and immediate future.
Political cohesion and defense of sovereignty
One of the central elements of the interview is the dismantling of recurring claims that attempt to show that fractures have appeared within the Chavista forces in Venezuela. In response to such assertions, Jorge Rodríguez stated: “That is completely false. Chavismo is more united than ever.” This affirmation is placed within a recurring discursive pattern that, according to him, has appeared at different moments under different names but with the same objective: to suggest divisions that do not exist.
The deputy describes this recurrence as part of an external narrative seeking to reinterpret the internal dynamics of Venezuelan political power: “They keep talking … before, they said Maduro and Diosdado, now [they say] Rodríguez.” He suggests that claims of internal tensions respond more to interpretative needs than to verifiable facts within the actual functioning of the Chavista leadership.
The president of the National Assembly emphasized the existence of effective and permanent mechanisms of political coordination. Referring to moments of high sensitivity, he noted that communication among top leadership figures is continuous. For example, he recounts that up until the night of January 2, both he and the acting president Delcy Rodríguez were in direct contact with President Nicolás Maduro, while other leaders also maintained constant communication.
Rodríguez situated this cohesion within a broader political framework linked to the defense of national stability. In this regard, he affirmed the existence of a strategic agreement among the key actors of the Bolivarian process: “We all agree … on the need to protect and defend peace along with Venezuela’s sovereignty and independence.” This formulation establishes a hierarchy in political action, prioritizing the preservation of internal order in the face of destabilizing factors.
From there, he introduced a reflective dimension regarding lessons learned from periods of heightened political conflict, highlighting the need to transform how political adversaries are perceived: “The first thing I think we learned is the need not to see the other as an enemy.” This marks a significant shift in political discourse, suggesting that stability also depends on managing differences within a framework of mutual recognition.
This reflection is complemented by a critique of political dynamics that have historically hindered durable agreements. Rodríguez summarizes it in a phrase that reflects his experience in negotiation processes: “Chavistas are bad losers, but the opposition are terrible winners.” The expression points to a structural issue in Venezuelan politics: the difficulty of building guarantees and recognizing outcomes that enable democratic coexistence.
Economy, dialogue, and the projection of political stability
Rodríguez identifies the economic sphere is the central challenge and, at the same time, the foundation of Venezuela’s current political stage. “The most important thing right now is the economy,” he says, linking it to the need for the political process to have a tangible impact on people’s daily lives. He stressed that the goal is to move toward economic dynamism that allows “the population to feel… that this entire process was worth it.”
This emphasis implies a strategic reorientation that combines political continuity with adjustments in economic management. Rodríguez acknowledges that one of the key lessons learned has been the need to create more competitive conditions for investment, particularly in strategic sectors such as energy. “No one is going to invest their money if they don’t have sufficient guarantees,” he stated, while explaining that the country has been adapting its legal and economic frameworks to facilitate such processes.
He framed this as a sovereign decision aimed at strengthening national productive capacity. In this regard, he noted that Venezuela had fallen behind in attracting investment compared to other oil- and gas-producing countries, making it necessary to correct that gap. This acknowledgment does not imply a break with the political model but rather an adaptation to global conditions while maintaining control over strategic resources.
Alongside the economic axis, Rodríguez highlights political dialogue as essential for the country’s stabilization. “We are in a process of deep dialogue with all sectors of the opposition… within the bounds of the Constitution,” he explains, drawing a line between those participating in this process and those who have opted for confrontation. Openness to dialogue, he insists, is conditioned on respect for institutional frameworks.
At this point, he also introduced the possibility of broad agreements regarding electoral processes, without closing off debate on their specific configuration: “Who knows if we reach an agreement to begin with National Assembly elections and then presidential ones … or hold them all together,” he remarked, indicating a degree of flexibility in building political consensus.
However, he insisted that a fundamental requirement for progress is trust in the electoral system: “There is another thing that must be done as well, and that is for everyone to be able to trust the authority that organizes those elections.”
Rodríguez also identified structural obstacles that have hindered agreements in the past, including the lack of mutual recognition among political actors and the absence of guarantees following agreements. This self-criticism is paired with a call to establish stronger conditions for political coexistence, including clear mechanisms to ensure compliance with commitments.
Another relevant point is his reference to an amnesty policy as part of a broader normalization process. He explained that multiple situations of political conflict have been evaluated, with the exception of those linked to extreme calls for violence such as invasions or coups. Within this framework, he proposed advancing toward a political culture based on respect for differences and the overcoming of “maximalisms” that, according to him, generate exclusion and confrontation.
On the international front, he projected a pragmatic openness, particularly in economic relations. He highlighted the continued presence of European energy companies in Venezuela even during the most difficult periods, as well as the willingness of private actors to adapt to new conditions. “Private companies are adjusting more quickly to these changes than European governments,” he noted, underscoring the practical recognition of opportunities within the Venezuelan market.
Rodríguez’s position framed the current moment as a phase of strategic reordering of the Venezuelan state and national politics, where political stability—achieved after years of conflict—serves as a platform for economic reactivation and the expansion of consensus.
The emphasis on clear rules for investment, dialogue within constitutional frameworks, and the overcoming of extreme confrontation dynamics reflects the view that the country has withstood internal and external pressures and is now in a position to redefine its trajectory based on its own capacities.
Jorge Rodríguez: Venezuela Exercises Full Control Over Its Sovereignty
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/CB/SL
Cameron Baillie is an award-winning journalist, editor, and researcher. He won and was shortlisted for awards across Britain and Ireland. He is Editor-in-Chief of New Sociological Perspectives graduate journal and Commissioning Editor at The Student Intifada newsletter. He spent the first half of 2025 living, working, and writing in Ecuador. He does news translation and proofreading work with The Orinoco Tribune.
