Democratic Action leader Bernabe Gutierrez shows a document labeled as "constitutional reform," as part of an alleged initiative to support the current reengineering process of the state. Caracas, June 17, 2026. Photo: X/@globovision.
Caracas (OrinocoTribune.com)—Venezuela’s Miraflores Palace clarified on Wednesday night that there is no initiative regarding Constitutional reform in the legislative agenda promoted by Acting President Delcy Rodríguez. The Venezuelan government denied the dissemination of what it labeled as “fake news” circulating on social media platforms regarding an alleged Constitutional reform being planned by the Rodríguez administration.
Many in Venezuela remain skeptical about recent clarifications on social media from Miraflores Palace. This caution stems from events last week when the presence of US troops in Bolívar state, in southern Venezuela, was initially denied. Days later, however, the White House released a video of a “kinetic strike” conducted by the US Southern Command (US SOUTHCOM) in which the leader of the notorious Tren de Aragua criminal organization was allegedly killed.
— Miraflores Al Momento (@AlMomento_M) June 17, 2026
In that case, photos were circulated that purported to show US troops on the ground in the targeted area. In the end, it was never clearly demonstrated that US troops were in fact “on the ground” in Venezuela. Nevertheless, the video of the bombing and the admission by the Rodríguez administration that it had worked with the US to carry out the attack did not sit well with those who had initially defended the official claims made by Miraflores Palace.
Rumors of state restructuring
Now, the government is denying that a Constitutional reform is impending. In a statement, the Rodríguez administration denied the allegations spread by a website that falsely claimed a non-existent presidential chain of command and proposed state restructuring measures that are not part of the country’s official policies.
According to a social media post by the Miraflores Al Momento social media account, the misinformation was originally spread by the website La Derecha Diario. According to the outlet, the reform project was allegedly presented by the Secretary General of Democratic Action (AD), Bernabé Gutiérrez, supposedly “on the order of the Acting President of the Republic, Delcy Rodríguez.”
Many Venezuelans, especially Chavistas, view these developments with skepticism due to the recent behavior of the Venezuelan government. On Wednesday, the wing of AD that is more aligned with the government made several proposals in line with the “re-engineering” process set in motion by Acting President Rodríguez to reduce the size of the state framework.
Among the proposals were many that would necessarily require a Constitutional reform, such as revoking the option for unlimited re-election for any public office and returning to a bicameral parliamentary scheme, which was eliminated by the Bolivarian Constitution enacted during the presidency of Hugo Chávez.
Grassroots skepticism and unity
The close relationship between this wing of AD and the government has naturally raised suspicions among Chavistas. The news outlet Venezuelanalysis.com wrote: “Opposition getting emboldened? AD secretary general Bernabé Gutiérrez made a series of proposals to a commission tasked with ‘reengineering’ the government. Some, such as axing ministries, are certainly within its remit. But others such as reducing the presidential term or reintroducing a two-chamber legislature (like it was before Chávez) would require changing the Constitution.”
According to most political experts, the current scenario in Venezuela is extremely complex and difficult to analyze. However, the common denominator appears to be a dramatic reduction in the capacity of the state to take sovereign decisions outside the dictates of the White House, which explains why many Venezuelans remain skeptical about the true nature of this AD proposal.
Despite this public skepticism, the reality on the ground still points toward heavy support from the Chavista grassroots base for the Rodríguez administration alongside strong unity among the Chavista leadership. For this reason, it is difficult to jump to conclusions regarding the outlook for Venezuela, given the deep complexities of the present situation and the clear intention of US imperialism to decapitate the Bolivarian Revolution.
Special for Orinoco Tribune by staff
OT/JRE/SL
