Rodriguez urges calm on Independence Day after deadly Venezuela quakes

Interim President Delcy Rodriguez used Venezuela’s 215th Independence Day to project control after two deadly earthquakes left thousands dead, injured or homeless. The moment matters because her government is under pressure over its disaster response, while opposition figures are trying to build momentum for political change.

Speaking Sunday at a military service for the national holiday, Rodriguez rejected the idea that public anger would turn into disorder. “There will be no social unrest here,” she said, according to Al Jazeera. “What we have here is deep social solidarity.”

Venezuela’s Ministry of Communication and Information said Sunday that the June 24 earthquakes had killed 3,342 people, with the toll expected to rise. The ministry also reported 16,470 injuries and said 17,345 people had lost their homes, while thousands remained missing.

Al Jazeera reported that the two quakes had magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5 and struck Venezuela’s northern coastline, damaging areas including La Guaira and the Caracas metropolitan region. The outlet described the disaster as Venezuela’s deadliest earthquake event in a century and the country’s worst natural disaster since the 1999 flash floods.

Government faces criticism over relief effort

Critics cited by Al Jazeera blamed the United Socialist Party of Venezuela, which has governed the country since 2007, for long-running mismanagement and corruption. They argued that those problems left the state poorly prepared for a disaster of this scale.

Residents in affected areas told Al Jazeera that official aid was slow to arrive after the quakes. Some also accused the government of blocking or slowing foreign assistance, according to the outlet.

Rodriguez pushed back in her Independence Day remarks, accusing opponents of trying to direct “hatred” at the state. “Attempts are being made today to attack Venezuelan institutions,” she said, according to Al Jazeera. “There can be no room for any kind of conspiracy, internal or external, from whatever source it may come.”

The earthquakes are the first large disaster faced by Rodriguez since she became acting president in January, Al Jazeera reported. She previously served as vice president under Nicolas Maduro.

Opposition leader links holiday to democracy message

Al Jazeera reported that Maduro was taken into custody after the United States launched a military operation on January 3 to abduct and imprison him on drug- and weapons-related charges. He is now on trial in New York, according to the outlet.

Since taking power, Rodriguez has worked within demands from US President Donald Trump, Al Jazeera reported. Her government has allowed more foreign investment in Venezuela’s nationalised mining and fuel industries, while the Trump administration has continued to support her despite criticism after the quakes.

Media reports cited by Al Jazeera said the United States has repeatedly denied requests from opposition leader Maria Corina Machado for help returning to Venezuela. Machado had been in hiding under Maduro and secretly left the country in December to receive a Nobel Peace Prize for promoting democracy, according to Al Jazeera.

Machado has said she wants to return to assist with relief work. Her coalition, Vente Venezuela, has been organising volunteers to gather donations and distribute supplies, according to Al Jazeera.

In an Independence Day message, Machado compared Venezuela’s holiday with the United States’ 250th anniversary of its Declaration of Independence, saying the two countries were tied by republican ideals and a commitment to “the defense of the free world.” She also renewed her call for political change, saying her movement had built “democratic legitimacy” and defeated the government’s claims “with the truth.”

Machado has repeatedly called for new elections, Al Jazeera reported. She says her party has held a mandate since the 2024 presidential race, when Maduro claimed a third term despite published vote tallies indicating he lost to opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez, an ally of Machado.

This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.