Radical sectors of Chavismo and opposition forces criticized Venezuela's interim president, Delcy Rodríguez, for agreeing to give the United States exclusive access to the country's valuable oil resources. The agreement hands the US majority control of 65 billion barrels of Venezuelan oil.
According to analysts, the leader is betting on the agreement with Donald Trump as a way to consolidate power. Risa Grais-Targow, director for Latin America at the Eurasia Group, stated that the agreement could benefit Delcy by reinforcing Trump's commitment to working with her, thereby reducing incentives to move toward a new presidential vote.
The opposition is upset precisely because the agreement limits the Trump government's interest in pressuring for rapid elections in Venezuela. With decades of anti-American nationalism in its path, there is also the risk that the agreement could become a problem for Rodríguez with the more radical sectors of her own support base.
