Venezuela
Assessment
Acting president Delcy Rodriguez told a Miraflores press conference on Sept 2 that a presidential election will without a doubt happen when Venezuela is ready but refused to name a date, leaving the post-Maduro transition open-ended after the Aug 6 opening of US-facilitated government-opposition talks that Machado and Gonzalez Urrutia are boycotting. Foro Penal counted 382 political prisoners still held as of Aug 3 despite an amnesty that freed more than 800 between January and May and a further 131 announced in August. Operation Southern Spear continues, with a SOUTHCOM strike on a go-fast vessel in the Caribbean on Sept 9 killing three and a cumulative toll of at least 230 killed in at least 68 strikes on 69 vessels since September 2025; no further strike was recorded between Sept 10 and Sept 15. Maduro remains in US custody in New York, where his wife Cilia Flores asked on Sept 11 for home detention on health grounds.
Recent, assessed
- 2026-09-09SOUTHCOM's Joint Task Force Western Hemisphere strikes a go-fast vessel in the Caribbean, killing three. stripes.com
- 2026-09-02Delcy Rodriguez says an election will happen when Venezuela 'is ready' and that she does not set the date (snippet only). bloomberg.com
Level history
Levels set by research reviews. A level set by hand is shown at the top of the page while it is in force and is not part of this history.
| Date | Level | Status | Trend | Review |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-09-15 | 3 | Tense/Stable | ■ stable | Weekly review |
| 2026-09-14 | 3 | Tense/Stable | ■ stable | Weekly review |
| 2026-09-12 | 3 | Tense/Stable | ■ stable | Weekly review |
| 2026-09-12 | 3 | Tense/Stable | ■ stable | Baseline |
Latest headlines 80
Matched to this entry by keyword from the pull of 19 Sep, 11:09 UTC. Not reviewed; some may be off-topic.
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- Trump to meet acting Venezuelan President Delcy Rodriguez in New York next week: White House
- Trump to meet with Delcy Rodriguez in New York
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- Trump touts Iran war, Maduro capture among 'top 25' accomplishments of 'term three'
- Trump to meet Venezuela acting president Delcy Rodriguez, first since Maduro’s removal
- Trump to meet Venezuela's interim leader at UN next week
- Trump to Meet Interim Venezuelan President Delcy Rodríguez in New York Next Week
- Trump will meet with Delcy in New York at the first bilateral summit in more than ten years.
- Venezuela nears deal to tap disputed $4bn gold reserve
- Trump to meet with Venezuela's interim President Rodriguez in New York on Sept. 22
- Trump to meet with Venezuela's interim president Rodriguez in New York on Tuesday