Former Chilean Ambassador Gazmuri Hopes for 'Real Democratization' in Venezuela Amid US Influence

Chile's former ambassador to Venezuela, Jaime Gazmuri, has voiced his expectation for a "real democratization process" to emerge from the current dialogues between the Venezuelan government and the opposition. Speaking on Cooperativa, Gazmuri acknowledged that the possibility of elections being called is still a significant unknown.

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I have the expectation that this will culminate in a real democratization process for the country.

He suggested that the outcome will largely depend on the objectives and priorities of the US administration, given Venezuela's current de facto status as a United States "protectorate." Gazmuri recalled that since January, US priorities have centered on securing privileged access and control over Venezuelan oil and on diminishing the influence of strategic adversaries, particularly China. He pointed out that the US, under the Trump administration, initially focused on these economic and geopolitical interests rather than democracy or human rights.

Gazmuri noted a recent addition to US priorities: promoting a democratic transition once the situation normalizes and the economy recovers. This framework is expected to guide negotiations, overseen by the US, between Venezuelan National Assembly president Jorge Rodríguez and Dinorah Figuera, who was elected to the same post in 2015.

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Venezuela has become a sort of protectorate of the United States.

"I have the expectation that this will culminate in a real democratization process for the country," Gazmuri stated, while also emphasizing the need to observe how this process unfolds and how long the US "protectorate" over Venezuela will last. He pointed out that power structures and police forces remain under the command of the Maduro government, even as Nicolás Maduro himself faces trial in New York.

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When he announced the kidnapping of Maduro, Trump did not mention the words 'democracy' or 'human rights'.