Venezuelan Acting President Delcy Rodriguez issues statements during a meeting at Miraflores Palace on Monday, March 16, 2026. Photo: Venezuelan Presidential Press.
Acting president of Venezuela Delcy Rodríguez explained that the failed transportation strike in Caracas on Monday was orchestrated by extremist sectors from abroad.
Speaking Monday night from Miraflores Palace during a meeting with the Ministry of Education to review the national education plan, Rodríguez lamented that foreign actors continue to influence internal sectors via telephone. “I deeply regret that extremist sectors of the country continue to be activated from abroad, using only a telephone,” she stated [01:17].
The acting president emphasized that the path to stability lies in existing legal and social frameworks. “There is the Amnesty Law and the Democratic Coexistence and Peace Program to seek coexistence from diversity, from antagonism, so that Venezuela can recover normality in its life, both nationally and internationally,” she said [01:26]. Rodríguez described these measures as essential to guaranteeing the future of the nation and its youth.
A message encouraging dialogue and peace
Rodríguez urged Venezuelans to treat those who wish to work with respect, and she noted that the right to freedom of movement must be protected. She noted that while there are spaces for disagreement, they must remain within the democratic framework. “My call is for Venezuela to work and for those who want to work to be allowed to do so,” she said. “Those who tried to impede the right to free movement did not act correctly [00:42].”
She reiterated that the government remains open to listening to all sectors, including their needs and expectations, through the Program for Democratic Coexistence and Peace [01:00]: “It is necessary to move forward; there are spaces for dialogue and encounter, for expressing disagreements, but the important thing is that this space exists within the democratic framework [02:35].”
Government ensures mobility
Earlier on Monday, Transportation Minister Aníbal Coronado reported that the attempt to paralyze the capital through a strike had failed. Coronado stated that the Venezuelan government took proactive measures to ensure the defense of citizens’ rights to mobility through peaceful means.
Transport Strike Fails to Paralyze Caracas as Government Deploys Alternative Units
“All Metrobus and SITSA transport units were deployed, along with jeep drivers, and Caracas police trucks, to minimize the impact of what they tried to cause today,” Coronado said in a video posted to the public. He confirmed that all passengers were successfully transported to their destinations and workplaces despite the attempted boycott.
Coronado emphasized that the majority of transport workers did not respond to the call for a work stoppage and that the ministry remains committed to protecting the daily lives of Caracas residents.
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
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