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Venezuela’s Sovereignty Is Not Up for Negotiation: Acting President Rodriguez
She reaffirmed her commitment to judicial reform and pledged to hold elections under a revamped electoral authority.
In a national address delivered on Thursday, Venezuelan Acting President Delcy Rodriguez presented an overview of the political, economic, cultural, spiritual and democratic transformation initiatives carried out throughout the year.
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During her address, she underscored the Venezuelan government’s independence in directing public policies and making strategic decisions.
“The decisions behind this transformation are made here, signed here and announced here, before you. Sovereignty is not negotiable,” Rodriguez said, emphasizing that Venezuela’s political horizon is measured by a sequence of objectives to be achieved, while maintaining international relations based on mutual respect.
Nearly 10 months after the U.S. military attack, Rodriguez referred to the “two perspectives” shaping Venezuela: that of those who view the changes as an excessive opening and that of those who believe the changes are happening too slowly. The Venezuelan acting president then stressed that her administration operates and positions itself at the point where these two perspectives intersect.
“Governance takes place between these two tensions, and we have chosen a path that will lead us steadily to a successful outcome,” she said, urging citizens to assess the government’s performance more objectively and dispassionately.
“I am not asking you to have faith. I am asking you to judge me by the facts. Less fighting, more solutions,” Rodriguez said, setting out the standard by which she wants her administration to be evaluated: “An announcement is not worth what it promises. It is worth what is delivered.”
Her statements come as U.S. President Donald Trump envisions Venezuela becoming the 51st state of his country, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio seeks to set the pace of Venezuela’s political process. In response to those ambitions, Acting President Rodriguez outlined her main priorities.
1. All Decisions Are Made in Venezuela
In keeping with the defense of national sovereignty, Rodriguez described the transformation proposed under the “Venezuela Reborn” plan as a “democratic, orderly, institutional and verifiable transformation.”
This translates into three aspirations that matter in every Venezuelan household: “that your child can return, that the power does not go out, and that your salary is enough to make ends meet. That is what rebirth means,” she said.
“Return will always be voluntary, dignified and guaranteed,” Rodriguez promised Venezuelans living abroad. She assured them that anyone who decides to return will find “a country that welcomes them with respect, their documents in order and employment opportunities.”
2. A Justice System Open to Witnesses
Regarding criminal justice reform, Rodriguez invited “independent organizations to verify each of these steps in complete freedom and transparency.”
She recalled that the reform is currently advancing through a nationwide consultation intended to hear everyone’s views, with technical assistance from the European Union and cooperation from the U.N. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. Its purpose is to build “a fairer, more humane, transparent and impartial justice system.”
To date, nearly 9,000 people have benefited from the Amnesty Law, which ended criminal proceedings “stemming from the confrontation in which we were immersed,” Rodriguez said, emphasizing that more than 1,000 people have already regained their freedom.
In September, Rodriguez had acknowledged that the Law Against Hate “had been applied abusively.” Accordingly, the reform to that law introduced by the National Assembly seeks to eliminate criminal penalties and strengthen its educational purpose.
Once enacted, the reform will require the justice system to review the cases of individuals prosecuted under the law. This is in addition to instructions to security forces that no one may be detained without a court order, except when caught in the act of committing a crime, and a reminder that peaceful protest is a constitutional right that requires respect for the physical integrity of public officials.
“The responsible exercise of politics is guaranteed for everyone. The doors are open,” the Venezuelan acting president said.
3. Elections with the World as a Witness
“This is not a dialogue for the sake of appearances. These are difficult issues, and they cannot be resolved in a single day,” Rodriguez said, referring to one of the issues on the agenda of the dialogue table established under the Democratic Coexistence and Peace Program.
In October, the Venezuelan government and representatives of the 2015 National Assembly held a third round of talks in Caracas.
The agenda focuses on “upcoming electoral processes, reform of the Supreme Tribunal of Justice and the recovery of resources for post-earthquake socioeconomic assistance,” Rodriguez said, highlighting that the dialogue table had demanded that the United Kingdom return the seized Venezuelan gold.
In response to those calling for early elections, an urgency encouraged by the far right, Rodriguez recalled that “Venezuela’s political horizon is not measured by a date on the calendar, but by a sequence of objectives we must achieve.” At the end of that sequence are the ballot boxes.
“There will be elections, all those required by our Constitution, organized by a renewed electoral authority and with the world as a witness,” the Venezuelan acting president pledged.
She stressed that the process aims to establish an electoral authority “accepted by everyone,” guarantee internal democracy within political parties and leave behind the “times of confrontation that nobody wants anymore.”
Addressing those who hold different views, she said: “This transformation also belongs to you. I am not asking you to change your opinion. I am asking you to judge by the facts and come to the table, with equal rules for everyone.”
4. Contracts, Wages and Reconstruction
“You have the right to make demands, and I am listening,” Rodriguez said, emphasizing that dialogue on economic issues is already producing concrete results.
Thanks to the new regulations that have been approved, the Venezuelan government has managed to sign 61 contracts in the hydrocarbons sector, while another 44 contracts are under negotiation.
Authorities are also making progress in talks on mining and in assessing “nonessential assets held by the state that could be offered to the private sector or returned to their former owners.”
Workers’ wages are being discussed at a negotiating table that brings together trade union federations, business chambers and government authorities. For 2027, “increases in workers’ income across the country at four different points during the year” are planned. These increases “may in no case be lower than the economic growth recorded in the preceding quarter.”
To families who are still rebuilding their homes after the earthquake, Rodriguez promised that reconstruction efforts would not stop and that every month she would show them what had been done, where and when.
5. Legality as a Method
“When I said at the United Nations that legality was the way forward, it was not just a phrase. It was a method,” the Venezuelan acting president said during her national address.
She recalled that her administration continues to restore access to news websites “that had been subject to administrative measures as a result of the confrontation we experienced.” Restrictions imposed during the years of confrontation are now being reversed under the same legal framework that Rodriguez has made her governing method.
She urged Venezuelan journalists to act responsibly and respect citizens’ rights, while asking the foreign press not to stigmatize “the image of our country, nor its people and national identity.”
Finally, in response to those who fear that the transformations will entail too many concessions to traditional economic power groups, Rodriguez assured them that “nothing that has been built will be lost. What works will be protected, and what is wrong will be corrected.”
She urged young people to believe again, because these reforms are intended to ensure that “when it is their turn to decide the country’s direction, they will find institutions, not rubble.”
teleSUR/ JF
Sources: Presidential Press – MIPPCI
