Venezuela's interim leader alleges destabilization amid quake crisis

July 6 (UPI) -- Venezuelan interim President Delcy Rodríguez has alleged that opponents made attempts to destabilize the country during the national emergency caused by earthquakes at the end of June.

Her allegations come as she faces growing challenges from opposition leaders and constitutional experts, who argue that her interim mandate Friday 3 after it reached the Constitution's 180-day limit.

Rodríguez used Sunday's Independence Day commemoration to accuse opponents of trying to undermine Venezuela's institutions.

"There can be no room for any kind of conspiracy, either internal or external," Rodríguez told senior military officials during the graduation ceremony for more than 1,200 new officers at the Military Academy's Patio de Honor.

"There will be no social uprising here. What exists here is the deep solidarity of our people," she said during the ceremony broadcast on state television.

Drawing a historical parallel, Rodríguez compared the current crisis with Venezuela's devastating 1812 earthquake, arguing that opponents of the government are attempting to blame state institutions for a natural disaster to overthrow the country's constitutional order.

During a meeting with international media Friday, Rodríguez responded to criticism over what opponents described as her government's delayed response during the first 72 hours after the disaster.

She said domestic and international opposition groups were using "media laboratories" to politicize the country's grief and encourage social unrest after twin earthquakes that struck June 24.

Rodríguez also defended the controversial military deployment in the disaster zones, saying the armed forces were carrying out strictly humanitarian rescue operations.

While the government continues to frame the situation as a national emergency, opposition leaders and constitutional scholars, including former Supreme Tribunal of Justice Criminal Chamber President Blanca Rosa Mármol, argued the interim administration has entered a period of institutional illegality.

Rodríguez assumed the interim presidency Jan. 3 after the removal and capture of Nicolás Maduro during a U.S. military operation under the legal doctrine of a "forced absence," a measure approved by the Constitutional Chamber of Venezuela's Supreme Tribunal of Justice.

Critics argue the Constitution's 180-day limit for a temporary presidency expired automatically.

According to opposition leaders, extending the interim administration without immediately calling a universal presidential election violates Article 233 of the Constitution and amounts to an unconstitutional exercise of executive power.

The political dispute has intensified alongside growing public frustration.

To address the emergency, Rodríguez announced creation of the Venezuela Reborn Fund, backed by $200 million, to rebuild parts of La Guaira, Caracas and other areas devastated by the earthquakes.

The government said the money, obtained from recovered overseas assets and the International Monetary Fund, will finance direct assistance for displaced families, bank loans backed by guarantees of up to 80% and repairs to critical infrastructure, including Maiquetía International Airport, according to Infobae.

The plan is intended to address the humanitarian crisis caused by the magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 earthquakes, which left at least 3,342 people dead, 16,740 injured and thousands homeless. The recovery effort has unfolded amid neighborhood protests over what residents describe as delays in the government's response.

Civil society organizations and residents in the hardest-hit areas, including La Guaira state, have accused the government of responding too slowly, citing failures in emergency services and administrative obstacles that initially delayed the arrival of international rescue teams.

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This story was originally published July 6, 2026 at 1:14 PM.