Maduro is out but his top allies still hold power in Venezuela

The U.S. seizure of Venezuelan person Nicolas Maduro — praised by President Donald Trump arsenic stunning and almighty — leaves down uncertainty astir who is moving the oil-rich country.

Trump said connected Saturday that Vice President Delcy Rodriguez, portion of the almighty cabal astatine the apical of the country's government, had been sworn successful aft Maduro's apprehension and that she had spoken with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, starring to speculation that she would instrumentality the reins.

Under Venezuela's constitution, Rodriguez becomes acting president successful Maduro's lack and the country's apical tribunal ordered her to presume the relation precocious Saturday night.

But soon aft Trump's remarks, Rodriguez appeared connected authorities tv flanked by her brother, the caput of the nationalist assembly Jorge Rodriguez, Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello and Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez and said that Maduro remained Venezuela's lone president.

The associated quality indicated the radical that shared powerfulness with Maduro is staying agreed - for now.

Trump publically closed the doorway Saturday connected moving with absorption person and Nobel Prize victor Maria Corina Machado, wide seen arsenic Maduro's astir credible opponent, saying she doesn't person enactment wrong the country.

After Machado was barred from moving successful Venezuela's 2024 elections, planetary observers accidental her stand-in campaigner won the ballot successful a landslide, contempt Maduro's authorities claiming victory.

For much than a decade, existent powerfulness successful Venezuela has been held by a tiny ellipse of elder officials. Analysts and officials accidental though that the strategy depends connected a sprawling web of loyalists and information organs, fueled by corruption and surveillance.

Within the interior circle, a civilian-military equilibrium reigns. Each subordinate has their ain interests and patronage networks. Currently Rodriguez and her member correspond the civilian side. Padrino and Cabello correspond the subject side.

This powerfulness operation makes dismantling Venezuela's existent authorities much analyzable than removing Maduro, according to interviews with existent and erstwhile U.S. officials, Venezuelan and U.S. subject analysts and information consultants to Venezuela's opposition.

"You tin region arsenic galore pieces of the Venezuelan authorities arsenic you like, but it would person to beryllium aggregate actors astatine antithetic levels to determination the needle," said a erstwhile U.S. authoritative progressive successful transgression investigations successful Venezuela.

A large question people surrounds Cabello, who exerts power implicit the country's subject and civilian counterintelligence agencies, which behaviour wide home espionage.

"The absorption is present connected Diosdado Cabello," said Venezuelan subject strategist Jose Garcia. "Because helium is the astir ideological, convulsive and unpredictable constituent of the Venezuelan regime."

The United Nations recovered some SEBIN, the civilian agency, and DGCIM, the subject quality service, person committed crimes against humanity arsenic portion of a authorities program to crush dissent. Eleven erstwhile detainees - including immoderate who were erstwhile information unit themselves - described electrical shocks, simulated drownings, and intersexual maltreatment astatine DGCIM achromatic sites to Reuters successful interviews earlier Maduro's capture.

"They privation you to consciousness similar you are a cockroach successful a cage of elephants, that they are bigger," said a erstwhile DGCIM cause who was arrested and accused of treason successful 2020 aft having interaction with subject dissidents.

In caller weeks, arsenic the United States mounted its biggest subject build-upin Latin America successful decades, Cabello has appeared connected unrecorded TV ordering the DGCIM to "go and get the terrorists" and informing "whoever strays, we volition know."

He repeated the rhetoric successful a authorities tv quality connected Saturday, clad successful a flak overgarment and helmet and surrounded by heavy equipped guards.

Cabello has besides been intimately associated with pro-government militias, notably groups of motorcycle-riding equipped civilians known arsenic colectivos.

Cabello, a erstwhile subject serviceman and a large subordinate successful the socialist party, has power implicit a meaningful fraction of the equipped forces, adjacent though Venezuela's subject has been formally tally by Defense Minister Padrino for much than 10 years.

Venezuela has arsenic galore arsenic 2,000 generals and admirals, much than treble the fig successful the United States. Senior and retired officers power nutrient distribution, earthy materials and the authorities lipid institution PDVSA, portion dozens of generals beryllium connected the boards of backstage firms.

Beyond contracts, subject officials nett from illicit trade, defectors and existent and erstwhile U.S. investigators say.

Documents from an absorption information consultant, shared with the U.S. subject and seen by Reuters, accidental commanders adjacent to Cabello and Padrino are assigned to cardinal brigades on Venezuela's borders and successful concern hubs.

The brigades, portion tactically important, besides beryllium connected large smuggling routes.

"There are immoderate 20 to 50 officers successful the Venezuelan subject who request to go, astir apt adjacent more, to afloat region this regime," said a lawyer who has represented a subordinate of elder Venezuelan leadership.

Some mightiness beryllium considering jumping ship. The lawyer said that astir a twelve erstwhile officials and existent generals had reached retired aft Maduro's capture, hoping to chopped a woody with the U.S. by offering quality successful speech for harmless transition and ineligible immunity.

But those adjacent to Cabello said helium was not presently funny successful cutting a deal, the lawyer said.