Venezuela's interim president Delcy Rodriguez has begun a tour of the states through which opposition leader Maria Corina Machado passed days earlier. Rodriguez visited Aragua and Carabobo as part of the "Productive Revival" initiative, announced by the authorities as the beginning of a new stage for the economy and agriculture.
In the northern state of Aragua, Rodriguez opened the "Ezequiel Zamora" school for training agricultural leaders. In a meeting with farmers and other workers in the sector, she said the government seeks to "serve the people" and not cling to power.
“We will travel throughout the country within the framework of the productive revival, we will visit places where agricultural experience is being accumulated, where fishermen and people involved in aquaculture work, to provide them with full support,” Rodriguez said.She committed Venezuela to achieving the goal of “zero hunger” by 2027 or 2028. Rodriguez also said that together with Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello and Parliament Speaker Jorge Rodriguez, she has launched the “productive renaissance of Venezuela“.
According to her, the population will soon feel relief from prolonged power outages. Venezuela's energy crisis has lasted for more than a decade and has worsened in the past year.
Visit also in Carabobo
Later, Rodriguez appeared in the state of Carabobo with Governor Rafael Lacava. The two danced during a public event, and the president called for “nothing and no one” not to disturb the peace in the country.
Carabobo and Aragua were among the states visited on Sunday by Maria Corina Machado during her trip to Caracas. The opposition leader's route also passed through Lara and Yaracuy, where thousands of people took to the streets to welcome her upon her return to Venezuela.
Machado said she had been prevented from returning to the country seven times since leaving in December to receive the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize. The government rejected her claims and described the tour as a "spectacle", saying she could have returned through the airports.
Opposition seeks unity
After her return, Machado held meetings with more than 100 relatives of political prisoners and with 33 representatives of the main opposition coalition "Platform for Democratic Unity", the "Alliance for Venezuela" and with independent political figures.
The goal is to make progress “in unity towards the Great National Accord“, announced Machado's election platform “Command with Venezuela“. “Platform for Democratic Unity“ confirmed its support for the opposition leader and expressed hope that she will be able to exercise her political and civil rights.
Machado's ban on holding public office, imposed by Venezuela's General Control Office, remains in effect. Her party “Vente Venezuela“ has again demanded the release of political prisoners, whose number, according to the non-governmental organization “Foro Penal“, is 322.
Machado is expected to give her first press conference after her return. Her return renewed calls for presidential elections after the National Electoral Council declared Nicolás Maduro the winner of the 2024 elections without publishing detailed voting results.
Sources: bta.bg, efe.com