The announcement of millionaire investments and increased revenues for the Venezuelan state following the oil agreement reached with the United States opened a new front of political discussion in Venezuela, after the opposition former presidential candidate, Edmundo González, questioned that the resources derived from hydrocarbon exploitation end up benefiting the entire population and not just certain sectors.
Through a message shared on social media, González focused this Sunday on the state’s ability to transform oil revenues into concrete improvements for citizens.
“Venezuela has had a lot of money before. Enough to know that one thing is for resources to enter the country and a very different thing for them to reach people’s lives,” he said.
The former diplomat also raised a question about the impact the agreement will have on the population: “¿Will oil this time improve the lives of all Venezuelans? Or only some?”.
It is worth noting that Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodríguez, highlighted on Saturday night the revenues the country could obtain through the agreement with Washington. According to her estimates, considering a reference price of US$65 per barrel, revenues for the state would reach about US$209.335 billion.
The understanding contemplates, according to Rodríguez, the development of 17 strategic fields over a period of 25 years, with production exceeding 1.5 million barrels per day.
The president also stated that Venezuela will maintain ownership and sovereignty over its resources, while the United States will provide capital and technology.
In that vein, Edmundo González expressed that he is in favor of recovering the Venezuelan oil industry, but maintained that the success of the process must be measured by its social effects.
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“Recover the oil industry (…) but recovering Venezuela is recovering the lives of its people,” he said.
Along those lines, he listed some of the main needs that, in his opinion, should be addressed with the new resources: reconstruction of housing, especially after the earthquake, improvements in the health system, restoration of water and electricity supply and strengthening of education.
He also mentioned the economic difficulties faced by part of the population and questioned that there are workers who, despite having a job, cannot cover their basic needs.
“The recovery of Venezuela cannot be measured only by the barrels it produces again, but by the lives that wealth allows to rebuild,” he said.
The opposition figure also expressed concern about structural problems such as corruption, lack of infrastructure maintenance, and scarcity of opportunities for young people. He added the persistence of social problems such as hunger and the humanitarian crisis.
González, who is exiled in Spain, was the opposition’s presidential candidate in the 2024 elections. The opposition then denounced electoral fraud and questioned the official result that gave victory to Nicolás Maduro. After Maduro left power, Rodríguez assumed as acting president and began a rapprochement process with Washington.
