First major protests since capture of Maduro test Venezuela’s new leader

Americas

CARACAS, Venezuela — Hundreds of protesters took to the streets in Venezuela’s capital and across the country this week for Youth Day, asserting their right to demonstrate and calling for acting president Delcy Rodríguez to release political prisoners.

Thursday’s rallies, which proceeded peacefully, were seen as a test for the new government — the first major show of opposition in the streets since the U.S. capture Jan. 3 of President Nicolás Maduro, and since security forces made thousands of arrests in a large-scale crackdown on dissent in 2024, after Maduro claimed victory in an election that evidence shows he lost.