Rodríguez's 180-Day Constitutional Mandate Expires Amid Earthquake Crisis

Acting President Delcy Rodríguez's constitutionally mandated 180-day interim term — dating to her swearing-in after Maduro's January 3, 2026 capture — expired Friday, July 3, with no immediate government comment on next steps. Under Venezuela's constitution, temporary presidential absences are filled by the vice president for up to 90 days, extendable by the National Assembly for a further 90; the Rodríguez-controlled National Assembly can trigger a snap election by formally declaring the presidency permanently vacant, but had not done so as of this report. Facing mounting criticism over the earthquake response, Rodríguez dismissed it as "propaganda operations, driven by partisan political interests," saying thousands of rescue workers and 11 field hospitals had been deployed. María Corina Machado argued the response "exposed its critical weaknesses," declaring "my presence stabilizes the situation." The Trump administration continued to back Rodríguez while discouraging Machado's return.