Venezuelans are waiting anxiously as the future of their country hangs in the balance, a citizen said

There was an eerie calm in the Venezuelan capital as people waited to find out what the future holds for their country, said Caracas resident Benigno Alarcón Deza.

Deza, a political analyst at Andrés Bello Catholic University, says Venezuelans have been in fear since Saturday, when the US invaded his country and kidnapped the President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.

While the couple were tried in New York on narco-terrorism chargesfriend of Maduro, Delcy Rodríguezsworn in as interim president, he has no plans to step down.

US President Donald Trump, on the other hand, has done it announced that the US would “run” Venezuela again take control of the country’s oil industry.

Trump dismissed the idea that Exiled opposition leader María Corina Machado taking over. His supporters and many international observers call Machado an ally Edmundo González beat Maduro in the 2024 election.

All this uncertainty, said Deza, has turned Caracas into a ghost town. Here is part of his interview with As It Happened hosted by Nil Kӧksal.

I wonder what it was like for you, and maybe your neighbors, to see these pictures of Nicolás Maduro being brought to court in the United States today?

Location [of] Maduro’s entry into court is something most Venezuelans have been waiting for, but if you look at the scene, the reality and what is happening, this looks like a science fiction movie. It is something that is hard to believe.

It sounds like you think people don’t really believe that Maduro is out. As they consider this, what do people do?

People are very afraid of what is happening, what will happen next.

People today are closing their houses. Few businesses are open and running. Most of the people are sitting at home, watching the news, trying to be informed about what is happening, what happened.

Schools are not open today. Last night, we received an email from our schools telling us that due to the current situation in the country, children will not be attending class until next week. The same thing happened with universities in Venezuela.

So everyone’s situation is strange.

He wrote at the end of last year that you expected that pressure tactics from the US could lead to what you described as a “negotiated exit” for Maduro. This military action and what has happened, have you been shocked?

Maybe the United States expects that this government, you know, is working to slow down the revolutionary process in Venezuela. And on the other hand, the government on this side probably expects that they will be able to negotiate a solution with the United States … to gain time and stay in power.

I don’t know of any cases like this before where a government is trying to make a democratic transition through a ruling, ruling government. And I doubt this will end properly. Let’s see what happens.

What is the right way?

The right way for me is to put the people who won the election in 2024.

But I understand, on the other hand, the doubts that the United States may have at this time. Because the big question is how these people who came to power after 25 years of other people being in charge of everything will be able to continue to rule and have a stable situation in Venezuela.

Perhaps the United States does not want to repeat issues like Iraq, for example, and put almost 1,000 troops. [in Venezuela] to protect the government.

But on the other hand, my main question here is: It will be the manager who is willing to cooperate to dismantle the system they supported when they ruled for many years? It’s hard to believe.

Delcy Rodríguez, Venezuela’s current interim leader, has been outspoken about what the US did in the beginning. Today, many reconciliations, saying they can work on a “cooperative agenda.” What did you do with that change of tone?

I think people in the government are also afraid. Obviously, when they speak, they speak to their audience, to their Venezuelan people, and to the people who support them. And we are talking about 15 percent of the population, not more than that. But they need people around them in times like this.

But on the other hand, after [U.S.] to show strength in the last few hours, I think everyone in the government and the military knows very well that they do not have the strength to deal with these situations. In fact, on the day of the attack, we saw no response. We did not see any attempt to defend ourselves.

So you can expect two possibilities here. Another thing is that they try to get used to taking a strike in the right way and avoiding the next strike. And on the other hand, maybe they are willing to cooperate because they know they have no other choice.

What does this ultimately mean for Maria Corina Machado, Edmundo González and their supporters?

People who support María Corina Machado and Edmundo González — that [is] the majority of Venezuelans – who are not happy with this pressure from Donald Trump, OK? They think that Donald Trump was unfair to María Corina Machado and Edmundo Gonzáles, and they expect that … María Corina Machado and Edmundo González will be the next government in Venezuela.

Machado had a real reconciliation with Donald Trump. Do you think trying to build that kind of relationship is the wrong kind of bet?

They have maintained … very good relations with the United States government. It’s obvious that people like it [U.S. Secretary of State] Marco Rubio appreciates María Corina Machado.

Obviously, the situation with Donald Trump was very difficult.