The reinstitutionalization of Venezuela — which has been so widely discussed in recent weeks — remains to be seen. Fears are growing about a superficial change, where everything changes so that nothing actually changes. The official commitment to holding presidential elections remains vague. The country is still waiting for economic improvements. The early political overtures don’t seem – for the moment – to be sufficient. Opposition politicians don’t trust President Delcy Rodríguez’s intentions, while reluctance persists in some sectors of the ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV). New scandals are emerging: more political prisoners have died in official custody, in a murky context that has generated widespread shock.

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For months, Venezuela’s Chavista regime prepared to die, but not to emerge badly wounded. Of all the scenarios considered during Donald Trump’s offensive against Nicolás Maduro, the president being captured alive wasn’t on anyone’s radar. “I had never held a pistol or a rifle in my life... and I prepared myself [for] months to face any situation that might arise. But [I didn’t expect] this one,” says a prominent member of the ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV), founded by former president Hugo Chávez, who governed from 1999 until his death in 2013.

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