Feb. 3 (UPI) -- One month after the capture of President Nicolás Maduro in a U.S. military operation, Venezuela's ruling movement is undergoing a process of internal reorganization marked by a redistribution of power, signs of cohesion and a conditional relationship with the United States.
The absence of the leader who for years concentrated political command forced chavismo, the leftist political and social movement that holds power in Venezuela, to close ranks to preserve institutional control and ensure stability during a still-uncertain transition period.
One month after Maduro's capture, chavismo is showing a process of political repositioning without an apparent rupture of power and with actions aimed at maintaining unity among its base.
Social, labor and student organizations, along with popular movements in Venezuela, organized a demonstration Tuesday in downtown Caracas to demand the release of Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, who have been detained in the United States since Jan. 3.
"We will protest with strength, with love and with the conviction that justice will prevail. We will fight for the return of our President Nicolás Maduro and our First Lady Cilia Flores. There is no force that can stop a united people. Long live free and sovereign Venezuela. Victory forever!" Nahum Fernández, the United Socialist Party of Venezuela's secretary for street mobilization, wrote on social media.
