Venezuela in March 2026: the most important developments in politics
In March 2026, Venezuela's politics moved on from the ouster of Nicolás Maduro, and the main thread was the restoration of ties with the United States. On March 5 the two countries agreed to re-establish diplomatic and consular relations after years of rupture. The US flag was raised at its embassy in Caracas on March 15, and by March 30 the embassy had formally reopened after a seven-year closure, initially with limited staff. President Trump also suggested on March 18 that Venezuela could become the 51st US state.
Maduro himself appeared in a New York court on March 26 on drug charges. His son said the family trusts the US legal system, and in a later interview with RT said the prosecution has nothing on his father. Maduro's first message since his capture, released on March 29, said he and his wife were well and firm.
Inside Venezuela, interim president Delcy Rodríguez dismissed Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López on March 18 and replaced him with the head of the intelligence service. On March 20 she replaced the entire military high command; the government described this as part of moving past the Maduro era. She also appointed a new oil minister on March 12.
Opposition leader María Corina Machado announced on March 1 that she would return home in the coming weeks. The opposition called the government's amnesty law and prisoner releases selective, arguing that not all political prisoners were being freed, and the United Nations reported that political repression had continued. Parliament debated the future of the El Helicoide prison in Caracas, and Venezuela's bid to rejoin Mercosur divided the bloc's members.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
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