‘We Are Seeing an Economic Transition, but No Democratic Transition’ By CIVICUS Copyright © 2026 IPS-Inter Press Service.

Feb 4 2026 (IPS) - CIVICUS discusses the situation following the US intervention in Venezuela with Guillermo Miguelena Palacios, director of the Venezuelan Progressive Institute, a think tank that promotes spaces for dialogue and democratic leadership. https://www.ipsnews.net/2026/02/we-are-seeing-an-economic-transition-but-no-democratic-transition/ On 3 January, a US military intervention culminated in the arrest and extradition of President Nicolás Maduro, who had stayed in power after refusing to recognise the results of the July 2024 election, which was won by the opposition. However, power did not pass on to the elected president, Edmundo González, who remains in exile, but to Maduro’s vice-president, Delcy Rodríguez, under a pact that preserves the interests of the military leadership, ruling party and presidential family. Hopes for a restoration of democracy are fading in the face of a process that is prioritising economic and social control. Copyright © 2026 IPS-Inter Press Service.