Venezuela’s National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez speaks with journalist Luis Olavarrieta. Photo: Asamblea Nacional / Willmer Errades.
The president of the National Assembly, deputy Jorge Rodríguez, reported that Parliament will approve laws to accompany the country’s economic reformulation process.
In this regard, he recalled that the Organic Hydrocarbons Law was reformed on January 29, “which was very useful and progressive in 2006 and 2007. But, currently, it has been detrimental to an activity as fundamental as development of new oil wells,” he stressed.
This Monday, March 2, from the Federal Legislative Palace, in an interview with journalist Luis Olavarrieta, the deputy detailed some of the bills that the National Assembly will address in 2026.
He pointed out that the Legislative Branch is committed to stabilizing the country, with a profound reform of the economic legal framework and institutional strengthening, through political consensus.
He announced that, in that vein, the discussion of the Organic Law Project for the Acceleration and Optimization of Administrative Procedures and Processes of the Public Administration will continue soon.
He also outlined the need to work on a Mining Bill, given that it is a productive sector that requires renewal to promote the sustainable exploitation of gold, diamonds and rare earths by large international companies.
Rodríguez did not rule out that once the laws considered priorities in the Basic Legislative Plan 2026 have been discussed, elements of the Law against Hatred, for Peaceful Coexistence and Tolerance will be reviewed to adapt it to the new political moment of recognition and reconciliation.
He insisted that the economic sphere is a priority for all Venezuelans, and therefore reiterated his commitment to accompany the acting president, Delcy Rodríguez, in the transformation of energy resources into improvements for workers’ salaries and overcoming the after-effects of the economic war.
“We don’t want to keep saying that we have the world’s largest oil reserves; we want to convert that oil, which is underground, into schools, hospitals, and income for people,” he said.
Respectful relationships
The parliamentarian highlighted the global value of Venezuelan oil and argued that the country’s economic benefits would accelerate even further if the sanctions imposed by the United States were lifted entirely.
He also noted that after the complex events of January 3, the current stage of relations between Venezuela and the United States is marked by mutual respect and by restoration of the historic energy cooperation between both countries.
In the early hours of Saturday, January 3, 2026, US troops bombed populated areas of Caracas, Miranda, La Guaira, and Aragua, killing more than 100 people. The US invaders also kidnapped the constitutional president, Nicolás Maduro, and his wife, Cilia Flores, a member of the National Assembly. In the attack, they used an unprecedented sonic weapon, which Donald Trump dubbed “The Discombobulator” on January 24.
He added that as part of the new climate of trust, past cases where there was no consensus with the private sector may be reviewed in order to provide legal certainty to national and foreign capital interested in participating in the country’s economic revitalization.
Social peace and institutional strengthening
The congressman also considered the implementation of the Amnesty Law for Democratic Coexistence, unanimously approved, a gesture of institutional strengthening. He highlighted that to date, 5,628 people have received full freedom as part of a state-sanctioned pardon process aimed at reconciliation.
He noted that Parliament is currently in the process of appointing the new Attorney General and the Ombudsman, after receiving the resignations of Tarek William Saab and Alfredo Ruiz, with the purpose of advancing the intensive review of the judicial system, derived from the amnesty procedures.
At the same time, he clarified that the kidnapping of President Nicolás Maduro constitutes a forced absence, and the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice (TSJ) ruled that the interim presidency should remain in the hands of Delcy Rodríguez, which rules out the urgency of elections.
He stated that institutional strengthening—which encompasses the Executive, Legislative, Judicial, Citizen and Electoral branches—is a necessary preliminary step before any electoral event.
With a view to building a country based on consensus, the head of Parliament called for abandoning strategies of political persecution and stressed that the limit of dialogue will be with those sectors that promote foreign interventions or invasions.
The deputy argued that all political actors who respect the Constitution have guarantees of permanence in political and social life, without fear of being annulled or persecuted.
Betting on Venezuela
Rodríguez explained that for the first time in 12 years, the migration curve has reversed, and more Venezuelans plan to return to the country than those who wish to leave, motivated by expectations of economic recovery and the climate of citizen peace.
He urged Venezuelans and the various political sectors to believe in Venezuela and in the work of the public authorities, because the country needs to prioritize national interests over international diatribes.
“It is time to think first, second, and third about Venezuela. Our relationship must look primarily toward our neighbors and our natural market on the continent,” Rodríguez concluded.
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/JB/SH
