By Zoila Palma: Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro is facing heightened regional isolation after two longstanding political allies — Honduras and St. Vincent and the Grenadines — shifted to the right at the ballot box, CNN reports.
In Honduras, preliminary results from Sunday’s election show leftist candidate Rixi Moncada trailing far behind, effectively shutting out President Xiomara Castro’s protégé from the presidential race.
The contest has narrowed to two conservative candidates, Salvador Nasralla and Nasry Asfura, both of whom have pledged to distance Honduras from Maduro’s government, with Asfura receiving a high-profile endorsement from U.S. President Donald Trump.
A similar political realignment unfolded in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, where Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves — one of Maduro’s staunchest Caribbean supporters — was voted out after nearly 25 years in office.
His successor, center-right leader Godwin Friday, secured a landslide victory, capturing 14 of 15 parliamentary seats. These back-to-back defeats come amid a broader regional move away from the Chavista movement founded by Hugo Chávez and upheld by Maduro since 2013, with even traditionally left or center-left governments in Brazil, Chile, Mexico, and Colombia limiting engagement following Venezuela’s disputed 2024 election.
Across Latin America, shifting political winds continue to erode Maduro’s diplomatic standing.
Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro, once a key partner, has visibly distanced himself despite restoring diplomatic ties early in his term.
Argentina, which maintained warm relations with Venezuela during the Kirchner years, has sharply cooled under President Javier Milei’s openly anti-socialist administration.
Additional rightward shifts in Ecuador, El Salvador, and Bolivia have further weakened Caracas’ circle of ideological allies. While Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva reestablished relations after his return to office, ties remain far less robust than in earlier years.
With tensions rising over a U.S. naval buildup in the Caribbean under “Operation Southern Spear,” Maduro’s remaining allies appear limited and largely symbolic.
Cuba continues to express full political support but offers no commitment to military assistance, citing the hypothetical nature of any U.S. intervention and grappling with its own deep economic crisis.
Nicaragua’s President Daniel Ortega has condemned Washington’s actions but has offered no tangible backing.
The post International News: Venezuela’s Maduro loses 2 allies in a week, deepening regional isolation appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
By Zoila Palma: Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro is facing heightened regional isolation after two longstanding political allies — Honduras and St. Vincent and the Grenadines — shifted to the right at the ballot box, CNN reports. In Honduras, preliminary results from Sunday’s election show leftist candidate Rixi Moncada trailing far behind, effectively shutting out President
The post International News: Venezuela’s Maduro loses 2 allies in a week, deepening regional isolation appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
