Venezuelans face up to future without Maduro

In the days since the seizure of Nicolás Maduro, Venezuelans have been coming to terms with an uncertain future as a new reality begins to set in.

Marcelo, a student based in Caracas, is among those welcoming Maduro’s seizure, although he is careful not to celebrate publicly.

“There are still allies of Maduro that are in power, so there are a few reasons why we don’t celebrate outside of our houses,” he told the BBC World Service. “But I can assure you that the majority of the people of Venezuela are very happy for what happened.”

He is not the only one exercising caution. The BBC has been asking people how they feel about recent events, and what might happen next. Many of those opposed to Maduro’s government asked to remain anonymous, fearing for their safety.

But there are also those who support him. Rosa Contreras says she felt “humiliated” by the United States.

“It seems so easy how they took our president away,” the 57-year-old said.

Dozens of people are reported to have been killed in the operation that led to the Venezuelan leader and his wife being seized from his compound in Caracas, before being taken to the US where they face drug trafficking and weapons charges.

The Cuban government says 32 members of its security forces were among those killed.

Shortly after Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were taken by US troops, President Donald Trump said his administration would “run” Venezuela.

But exactly what that would look like remains unclear. Maduro’s vice-president, Delcy Rodríguez, has taken power in the interim. Far from a Maduro opponent, Rodríguez was his closest lieutenant.

Since she was named interim president, police have been patrolling the streets and journalists have been detained.

Speaking to the BBC at a rally calling for the jailed leader’s release, Rosa Contreras said the image of Maduro waving after arriving in the US had inspired her to take to the streets to show her continuing support for Maduro.

“He had an attitude that sent us a message: if I’m standing here, you have to stand here, stand tall and keep going,” she said.

Marcelo is also pleased that Maduro survived the US assault unscathed – but for different reasons.

“We want him to live every single day remaining in his life behind prison bars,” he said.

Millions of people have left Venezuela in recent years due to political and economic crisis which has worsened under Maduro. But Marcelo said he had friends outside the country who would return if Maduro’s fall led to a change in government and an end to Chavismo – the socialist political movement named after Maduro’s predecessor Hugo Chávez.

“If the United States runs the country so there’s a stable transition in Venezuela economically and socially, I think everyone would be OK with that, even if it’s not a perfect solution,” he added.

One opposition activist in his 60s from the north-western city of Maracaibo told the BBC that he lamented the loss of life in the US operation, but was happy Maduro had been seized and taken into custody.

“The man they took away has done a lot of harm. We’re glad they have him over there,” he said.

Under Chavismo, a lack of food and medicine had led to much suffering and death, he added.

“They gave the people the scraps while keeping the feast for themselves,” a 33-year-old masseuse told the BBC, referring to Maduro’s government.

She does not support Acting-President Delcy Rodríguez, but says “if this is the price we have to pay for a government transition then I accept it”.

There is also concern over what might happen next – a common fear for those who spoke to the BBC. US President Donald Trump has not ruled out a second wave of strikes.

Gelén Correa, 50, who works in government social programmes, was defiant about the prospect of further military action, however.

“The [Venezuelan] people deserve respect. I am prepared to fight back,” she insisted.

Should there be a second ground attack, Correa said the US would find Venezuelans “armed to the teeth”.

Some Venezuelans doubted that Maduro’s seizure would make much difference.

“They took the leader out but the regime is the same, so in that sense nothing has really changed,” said 60-year-old José.

One man from Caracas complained that a kilogram of cornflour – used to make a popular food in Venezuela – had roughly tripled in price, while another man from Maracaibo said the price of bread had increased by about 30%.

A woman from Guyana City in the east of the country said that in the last two days, she saw few people in the streets, and there were no cars.

“You can see some military in the streets, some of them guarding supermarkets, because owners are scared of theft or robbery,” she said, adding that “she, her family and friends are all scared to go out”.

Another woman – a 34-year-old entrepreneur – told the BBC that she feared that there would be reprisals as there had been after the election in July 2024.

The electoral council – dominated by goverment loyalists – declared Maduro the winner of the poll, a result which the European Union, the United States and a number of Latin American nations refused to recognise, pointing to voting tallies collected by the opposition which suggested that their candidate had won.

This unease is not unfounded. Many protests in recent years had been met with repression by government forces and paramilitary groups loyal to the Maduro government.

“There are military people on every corner and groups of armed civilians supporting the government who are causing fear among the population,” she said, adding that people were uncertain as to whether there would now be peace.

Her words were echoed by the masseuse, who also warned that the current situation was perilous, telling the BBC: “There’s so much fear in the streets and in our homes.”

Editing by BBC Global Journalism’s Mark Shea.