From July 10 to 24, more than 50 political organizations will be allowed to hold campaign events ahead of the upcoming elections. This will be the 33rd electoral process since the start of the Bolivarian Revolution. Voters will elect a total of 335 mayors and 2,471 council members, along with an equal number of alternates.
According to the National Electoral Council (CNE), of the total council seats, 1,420 candidates — 60% — will be elected through party-list voting; 982 — 40% — through nominal or individual voting; and 69 will represent Indigenous peoples.
With these municipal elections, Venezuela will complete the cycle of renewing popularly elected positions for the next four years.
Electoral authorities said that more than 30 of the political organizations participating in the upcoming vote are from the opposition. For those opposed to the ruling party, the challenge will be to overcome voter abstention promoted by the far right.
324 Venezuelans Repatriated Under Government-Led Program
A total of 324 Venezuelan nationals returned home on Thursday aboard the 42nd flight operated under the government’s “Return to the Homeland” program (Plan Vuelta a la Patria), bringing the total number of repatriated citizens to over 7,000, according to the Ministry of Interior, Justice and Peace.
The latest group included 101 women, 83 men, and approximately 140 children. Upon arrival at Simón Bolívar International Airport in Maiquetía, the returnees were received by government officials and underwent medical screenings and individual interviews aimed at gathering information about their circumstances. They were then transported to their respective communities.
“It’s a mix of emotions to be able to come back home after so many struggles. There are no words to describe this unique moment,” said one of the returnees.
This repatriation flight followed the return of 200 Venezuelans from the United States on Wednesday, whose flight made a stopover in Honduras. Both operations were carried out as part of the government’s broader strategy to facilitate the voluntary return of Venezuelan migrants.
The Government of Venezuela Launches Great Mother Earth Mission to Combat Climate Crisis with Ecosocialism
In a decisive response to the recent climate challenges facing the Andean region, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro Moros inaugurated the Great Mother Earth Mission Venezuela from Mérida’s Mukumbarí Cable Car System on July 10, 2025. This mission seeks to promote ecological recovery and resilience amid increasing climate emergencies, drawing on the legacy of Bolívar and the ecosocialist principles championed by Commander Chávez.
The mission is structured around seven key areas of work, each designed to foster sustainable development, ecological regeneration, and community empowerment. President Maduro called upon the nation’s 5,338 communal circuits and 49,000 communal councils to actively engage in refining and implementing these pillars through dialogue with universities, scientific centers, and local leaders.
Venezuela Marches to Demand Release of Children Detained in the U.S.
On July 10, 2025, the heart of Caracas pulsed with the voices of thousands demanding the return of Venezuelan children held in the United States. Mothers, grandmothers, and relatives of the 252 Venezuelans detained in El Salvador marched through the capital, carrying signs emblazoned with the acronym “SOS” and the faces of their missing loved ones.
The marchers, many of whom have not seen their children for months, accuse the U.S. government of forcibly separating families under the Trump administration’s renewed hardline immigration policy. According to testimonies gathered, these separations have left deep scars on Venezuelan families, with children placed in foster care or government custody while their parents were abruptly deported.
“They have once again committed the extremely serious offense of separating families and removing a minor from her emotional environment and, in particular, from her biological mother,” declared a Venezuelan government statement, denouncing what it calls the “kidnapping” of minors by U.S. authorities.
At the forefront of the march, mothers and grandmothers held signs with the faces of their children, demanding the U.S. immediately return every Venezuelan child being held. Many recounted to teleSUR how they have been separated from their children for nearly six months, after being forced to sign deportation orders in the wake of Donald Trump’s return to the presidency.
Venezuelan VP Rodriguez Criticizes Sanctions on Oil-Producing Nations at OPEC Forum
On Wednesday, Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez gave an exclusive interview to teleSUR from Vienna, where the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) is holding its 9th international seminar under the theme “Towards a Sustainable and Inclusive Energy Future.”
At the forum, Rodriguez placed the outlook for the global oil industry within the context of the energy transition and the geopolitical agendas of the United States and its allies.
“Twenty-six percent of global oil production is under unilateral coercive measures,” she said, referring to the situations in Libya, Iran and Venezuela.
Rodriguez, who also serves as Venezuela’s oil minister, additionally pointed out that 46% of the world’s oil reserves are also subject to what she described as a scheme of aggression. In that context, she said Venezuela is currently facing 1,041 such measures, describing them as part of an economic war against her country’s hydrocarbon industry aimed at reducing its competitiveness.
