The Documentary Podcast Will Venezuela ditch Chavismo?
Feb 28, 2026
Alicia Hernandez, BBC Mundo reporter on Venezuela's history and political shifts; Jorge Perez, BBC Mundo journalist on politics and oil; Ashay Yedge, BBC Marathi reporter who covered a community snow leopard census. They discuss Maduro's removal and Delcy Rodríguez's rise, whether Chavismo will change under pressure, oil policy shifts and political hopes. Also, a remote village's women-led camera-trap conservation for snow leopards.
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How Chavismo Went From Redistribution To State Decay
- Chavismo began under Hugo Chávez promising oil wealth for social programs but became unsustainable due to mismanagement and corruption.
- Jorge Perez explains early redistribution succeeded briefly then oil collapse, sanctions and politicised institutions pushed Venezuela into long-term decline.
Surface Reforms Mask The Same Power Structures
- Early policy shifts under Delcy Rodriguez are pragmatic moves to retain power, not ideological renewal.
- Jorge Perez notes oil opening and prisoner releases occurred, but the same officials with alleged abuses remain in power.
U.S. Approach Puts Oil Before Elections
- U.S. strategy prioritises oil interests and sequences political transition as a last phase.
- Jorge Perez outlines a three-phase U.S. approach where elections are the final, undefined step, delaying political guarantees.