The aftermath of Venezuela’s devastating twin earthquakes has intensified political tensions, placing acting President Delcy Rodríguez under increasing pressure as her interim leadership term nears expiration on Friday. The quakes, which struck on June 24, have claimed 2,645 lives and injured over 12,500, according to official government figures released on Friday.

In her first news conference since the disaster, Rodríguez strongly defended the government’s handling of relief efforts, dismissing criticism as the product of "propaganda laboratories." However, opposition leader María Corina Machado, an exiled Nobel Peace Prize laureate, challenged the government's response, arguing it revealed significant shortcomings. Speaking from Panama, Machado called for her return to Venezuela to assist with what she described as a necessary transitional process following the tragedy.

“My presence stabilizes the situation; it is part of the organizing forces that the country needs at a time when the total absence of the state has become evident,” Machado said, citing widespread public dissatisfaction over the perceived slow and disorganized governmental response. She emphasized the need for trusted leadership amid the crisis.

Machado’s opposition movement has launched an online database to aid in locating the missing, listing 36,000 individuals as of Friday. Her supporters have also mobilized volunteer networks to gather donations within Venezuela and appealed for assistance from the Venezuelan diaspora abroad.

Machado, who was barred from participating in Venezuela’s 2024 presidential election, has increasingly sought to re-enter the country. Following Nicolás Maduro's claimed victory in that election, which was disputed by opposition groups endorsing Machado’s candidate Edmundo González, she fled the country last December after receiving her Nobel Peace Prize in Norway. Since the January U.S. military operation that led to Maduro’s capture, Machado has intensified calls for a democratic transition.

Despite Machado’s appeals, the Trump administration has backed Rodríguez since Maduro’s ouster, commending her for reforms targeting Venezuela’s oil sector. Two senior U.S. officials, speaking anonymously to discuss private diplomatic matters, indicated growing frustration with Machado and said Washington discouraged her from returning amid the earthquake recovery efforts.

One official noted that Machado sought American assistance to facilitate travel from Curaçao and Panama to Venezuela, but U.S. authorities suspected her intention was to mobilize protests and push for political change at a time when the priority should remain on relief operations. The U.S. declined to support or facilitate her return, though it acknowledged it could not prevent it.

Following Machado’s plans to return, Rodríguez reportedly suspended commercial air traffic into Caracas, halting flights that were expected to bring hundreds of relief workers, according to the U.S. official.

As the humanitarian crisis unfolds, the conflict over leadership and political direction in Venezuela remains deeply contested, with the country facing both natural disaster and ongoing political instability.