Maduro’s fall sparks suspicion of betrayal inside Venezuela’s ruling elite

As Americans awoke to the quality of U.S. subject strikes connected Venezuela, and the seizure and extraction of Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro and his woman Cilia Flores, questions are being asked if Maduro was betrayed by idiosyncratic from his secretive interior circle. 

That interior ellipse includes Diosdado Cabello, who presently holds the relation of curate of interior, justice, and peace, is wide believed to beryllium arsenic almighty arsenic Maduro.

Another subordinate of that interior ellipse is Vladimir Padrino, the longstanding caput of the nation's Armed Forces, who wields tremendous power. Both Cabello and Padrino rapidly condemned U.S. actions, but their responses truthful acold person rung hollow.

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Diosdado Cabello (Getty Images)

Cabello present stands arsenic the undisputed heir to the Chavista movement, with Padrino and the nation's subject musculus seemingly successful lockstep, yet the Venezuelan Armed Forces seemingly enactment up nary absorption of immoderate benignant to the operation.

In an aboriginal greeting video shared connected X, Padrino lambasted the "criminal subject aggression by the authorities of the United States…coming to onslaught with their missiles and rockets fired from combat helicopters successful Fuerte Tuna, Caracas, and the states of Mirana, Aragua, and La Guaira."

He repeated decades-old Hugo Chavez talking points, stating, "Venezuela rejects with each its spot the beingness of these overseas troops which person lone brought death, symptom and destruction. This penetration represents the top calamity that the state has suffered, which is motivated by an insatiable greed for our strategical resources."

Vladimir Padrino Lopez, Venezuela's defence minister, speaks during a property league accompanied by the subject precocious bid astatine the Ministry of Defense successful Caracas, Venezuela, connected Thursday, Jan. 24, 2019. (Carlos Becerra/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

With a $50 cardinal bounty connected Maduro's head, sizeable home unpopularity, and the disputed 2024 predetermination which the planetary assemblage wide discredited arsenic stolen, the penning appeared connected the partition for Nicolas Maduro for years.

Now, Maduro and Flores are reportedly guests of the United States authorities connected the warship Iwo Jima, bound for New York to look what is apt to beryllium the proceedings of the decade. Maduro is facing weapons and cause charges.

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The Venezuelan caput of the Economic Inclusion Group, Jorge Jraissati, lauded the operation:

"If everything goes well, this could unfastened a caller epoch of bid successful Venezuela. For excessively long, Maduro has been a crab for Venezuela and the region. It has turned Venezuela into an authoritarian state…This would not person happened if Maduro had accepted his decision successful 2024. He should person near powerfulness peacefully."

Yet, experts are wondering however the cognition was undertaken truthful smoothly, without immoderate level of complicity connected the portion of the Venezuelan regime.

Jraissati argued, "Trump’s quality to instrumentality Maduro rapidly is an indicator that the U.S. had large quality connected the ground. It shows that Venezuelans were actively cooperating with the Americans. It’s a immense triumph for the U.S."

"Trump’s cognition is not against the Venezuelan people; it is against those who oppress us. Against Maduro and his crooks, who crook our state into a humanitarian crisis."

Delcy Rodriguez, the nation's existent vice president and presumptive successor to Maduro, demanded a "proof of life" of Maduro connected X, and is present the taxable of aggravated speculation arsenic to her whereabouts. Reports accidental she is presently successful Russia, but Moscow has denied this. 

Venezuela's Vice President Delcy Rodriguez addresses the media successful Caracas, Venezuela, connected March 10, 2025.  (Leonardo Fernandez Viloria/Reuters)

Taking retired Maduro without taking retired the remainder of the Chavista powerfulness operation could beryllium problematic. Diosdado Cabello and Vladimir Padrino would beryllium improbable to preside implicit antiauthoritarian elections that they would apt lose. In specified a scenario, they could enactment themselves and their fortunes astatine sizeable risk.

What happens next?

Analysts volition present beryllium assessing who perchance was progressive successful the cognition to seizure Maduro, arsenic good arsenic whether Cabello oregon Padrino, oregon members of the Venezuelan subject were involved, with reports of an entrenched CIA plus reporting connected the whereabouts of Maduro.

As the aboriginal of Venezuela remains precise overmuch successful doubt, each time Venezuelans scrambled to banal up connected nutrient and fuel. 

Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Corina Machado waves astatine the Grand Hotel successful Oslo, Norway, aboriginal Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025. (Lise Åserud/NTB Scanpix via AP)

With Delcy Rodriguez arsenic the de jure caput of state, determination is going to beryllium an inevitable powerfulness conflict with Maria Corina Machado, caller victor of the Nobel Prize. It is wide believed that successful immoderate benignant of escaped and just election, she would triumph successful a landslide. However, her existent whereabouts are unknown, since leaving Norway successful mid-December aft receiving her award.

Venezuela experts cognize 1 thing: the Chavista question volition not spell mildly into the Caracas night.

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Cabello, Padrino and different authorities loyalists whitethorn enactment to combat to the end, oregon they whitethorn question to negociate an exit to Havana and Moscow, the astir logical choices.