Overview
- Police in Caracas used tear gas to push back a march toward the Miraflores palace Thursday, with AFP counting about 2,000 people in the largest anti-government protest since August 2024.
- Demonstrators demanded raises to base wages and pensions rather than bonuses, which leave many public workers near $150 a month while basic food needs cost about $645.
- Rodríguez announced on Wednesday a May 1 pay increase that she called responsible, gave no figure, and said the plan aims to avoid another bout of fast-rising prices.
- She linked income gains to oil and mining revenue, set up a commission to define strategic state assets, and rejected privatizing the state oil company PDVSA.
- Rodríguez took over after a U.S. raid captured Nicolás Maduro in January, and ties with Washington have warmed as the U.S. seeks greater access to Venezuela’s oil and mining sectors.