Your Media Isn’t Our Reality

Editorial Note: The author’s identity has been verified by our editorial team. Due to ongoing local safety concerns, we are publishing the author under a pseudonym.

Just hours after Nicolás Maduro’s removal, I want to share what I personally experienced following the incursion of U.S. troops, along with the views of family members, friends, and coworkers on this moment and the country’s future.

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What happened had been looming for some time. Many suspected it, a large part of the population expected it, and the United States had been signaling it for months. Still, after seeing troops positioned near Venezuela for so long without any visible action, many people began to believe it was simply a show of intimidation and that nothing would actually happen; that the troops would eventually return home. Others, myself included, believed the opposite. A deployment of that scale could not be merely symbolic.

Maduro’s capture caught us by surprise in the early hours of Saturday morning, perhaps because we were distracted by the holiday season. The sound of explosions, the presence of helicopters overhead, and the sight of fires immediately triggered panic. 

People rushed to find information by any means available, especially to check on the safety of their families. In some areas, however, electricity and phone service failed, deepening the sense of fear and uncertainty.

The population had already been warned to stay inside if anything happened, and that is exactly what occurred. On Saturday, the streets were completely empty. There were no cars, no pedestrians, and no open businesses. The prevailing feeling was euphoria upon learning of Maduro’s capture, but it was a muted euphoria, one that could not be openly expressed. At the same time, a deep uncertainty set in, and it remains unresolved.

The shared perception is that the aspirations of most Venezuelans have only been partially fulfilled. Although Maduro was captured, his inner circle remains in control, and armed civilian groups known as colectivos have been deployed in the streets to intimidate residents. The fear of retaliation is still very real.

There is no information coming from independent media. Only what the government finds convenient is broadcast through state outlets. People rely almost entirely on social media and YouTube to stay informed. A tense calm prevails. For most people, the immediate priority is securing food and trying to maintain some sense of daily routine.

The government has called for demonstrations, but turnout has been minimal.

This situation is mirrored across the rest of the country. Many hope that Trump’s intervention will help Venezuela return to a democratic path. Everyone understands how complex this moment is, yet there is widespread impatience and a strong desire to see tangible results soon.

Some expect the president elected by the majority, Edmundo González, to take office immediately, alongside María Corina Machado.

From my perspective, patience is necessary. The presence and pressure of the United States must continue until the power structure is fully dismantled. Those responsible must be held accountable for the atrocities committed, including imprisonment and torture simply for expressing dissent. These are the consequences of decades of corruption, vandalism, and the systematic looting of the country’s wealth, which have left the population surviving on a minimum wage worth less than half a dollar and pushed more than 80 percent of Venezuelans into poverty.

In my view, the will of the people must be respected. If new elections are required, they should be held, but this time with María Corina Machado as a candidate, with full participation from the Venezuelan diaspora, and under strict international supervision to ensure the integrity of the results.

Venezuela needs a medium and long term plan. In the short term, the country can recover quickly on the social and economic fronts. Politically, there will still be lingering challenges, but positive results could help bring the nation together. The talent exists, as does the determination to become once again the country that once stood as a model for Latin America.

Anthony Barreto. Caracas, Venezuela.

Find the next essay in the “Voices of Venezuela” collection here.