23 September 2026
Interim president Delcy Rodríguez addressed the UN General Assembly on 23 September 2026.
She said: "Elections will be held in Venezuela", but gave no date.
She said her government has begun political dialogue with opposition sectors.
She thanked US President Donald Trump for willingness to restore diplomatic ties and cooperate on energy, security and transnational crime.
She criticised economic sanctions and reaffirmed Venezuela's historical claim to Guyana Esequiba.
Address date:
23 September 2026 / 2026 സെപ്റ്റംബർ 23
Election date given:
None / ഇല്ല
Why it matters for exams: Venezuela's transition, UN General Assembly statements and the Essequibo claim are current-affairs staples.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
General Assembly United Nations General Assembly — The UN body in which all member states are represented.
16 September 2026
The US Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) issued General License 5Z on 16 September 2026.
It further delays the effectiveness of the authorization in GL 5 until 5 November 2026.
GL 5 concerns the PdVSA 2020 8.5 percent bond.
Until 5 November 2026 there is no authorization in effect licensing holders of that bond against subsection 1(a)(iii) of E.O. 13835.
PdVSA is Venezuela's state oil company.
License issued:
General License 5Z, 16 September 2026 / ജനറൽ ലൈസൻസ് 5Z, 2026 സെപ്റ്റംബർ 16
Authorization delayed until:
5 November 2026 / 2026 നവംബർ 5
Bond:
PdVSA 2020 8.5 percent
Why it matters for exams: US sanctions on Venezuela's oil sector shape its economy and are a frequent International Relations and economy topic.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
OFAC Office of Foreign Assets Control — The US Treasury office that administers and enforces economic sanctions.
PdVSA Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A. — Venezuela's state-owned oil company.
Background
The official name of the country is the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and its capital is Caracas. The country fact sheet published by the Embassy of India in Caracas describes it as a federal republic made up of 23 states, a federal district and 72 island dependencies in the Caribbean Sea.
Spanish is the language of the country and the currency is the Bolivar Soberano (Bs.). The system of government is described as a Participative Democracy with Presidential System.
Caracas itself is given a population of about 5 million, and the other main cities listed include Valencia, Maracaibo, Barquisimeto.
The fact sheet lists the country's memberships, which include NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, OPEC, PCA, Petrocaribe, UN, UNASUR, UNCTAD, UNESCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO and WTO. It is an observer rather than a full member in Caricom and in LAS.
The United Nations gives the country's date of admission as a Member State as 15-11-1945, under the name Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of.
The international calling code is +58. The national bird is the Venezuelan Troupial, the national flower the Venezuelan Orchid (Cattleya mossiae) and the national tree the Araguaney.
Capital:
Caracas
Official name:
Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela
Language:
Spanish
Currency:
Bolivar Soberano (Bs.)
States:
23
Island dependencies in the Caribbean Sea:
72
UN date of admission:
15-11-1945
International calling code:
+58
Why it matters for exams: Capital, currency, official language, federal structure and the list of organisations a country belongs to are the standing facts every Country Focus question is built from, and the observer-versus-member distinction in Caricom and LAS is exactly the detail an examiner uses to separate answers.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
Bolivar Soberano Bolivar Soberano (Bs.) — The currency of Venezuela.
NAM Non-Aligned Movement — A grouping of states that chose not to align formally with any major power bloc.
Caricom Caribbean Community — The regional grouping of Caribbean states, in which Venezuela is an observer.
UNASUR Union of South American Nations — A regional body of South American states.
Background
Venezuela's legislature is the single-chamber National Assembly (Asamblea Nacional), which sits in the Palacio Federal Legislativo in Caracas.
The Assembly's own history page records that the old Congress ended when a national constituent assembly (Asamblea Nacional Constituyente) was convened to replace the Constitution of 1961 (Constitución de 1961). On 3 November 1999 (3 de noviembre de 1999) that body approved, with the votes of 70 of its members, a unicameral parliamentary system (sistema parlamentario unicameral), and the Senate was abolished (eliminado el Senado).
The present Constitution of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (Constitución de la República Bolivariana de Venezuela) was approved by popular vote in a referendum on 15 December 1999 (15 de diciembre de 1999), and the new National Assembly was installed with 165 members (165 miembros).
Under Article 186 (Artículo 186) of that Constitution, deputies are elected in each federal entity by universal, direct, personalised and secret vote with proportional representation, on a population base of one point one per cent (uno coma uno por ciento) of the country's total population. Each federal entity elects three further deputies, and the indigenous peoples of the country elect three deputies of their own.
Public power is divided into five branches rather than three. Besides the legislative power (Poder Legislativo) there are the executive power (Poder Ejecutivo), the judicial power (Poder Judicial), the citizen power (Poder Ciudadano) and the electoral power (Poder Electoral); the Assembly's own rules require it to notify all four of them when it is formally installed. The citizen power is represented by the Consejo Moral Republicano, and the bodies that appear alongside it in the Assembly's rules include the Defensoría del Pueblo, the Ministerio Público, the Contraloría General de la República and the Consejo Nacional Electoral.
Legislature:
Asamblea Nacional
Chambers:
unicameral
Members at installation:
165
Constitution approved by referendum on:
15 de diciembre de 1999
Constitution replaced:
Constitución de 1961
Branches of public power:
5
Seat of the Assembly:
Palacio Federal Legislativo
Why it matters for exams: Most constitutions separate three powers, so a state that recognises five is a standing comparison question, and the move from a bicameral Congress to a single-chamber National Assembly is the kind of structural change an examiner asks about directly.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Asamblea Nacional National Assembly — Venezuela's single-chamber legislature.
unicameral single-chamber — A legislature with only one house, as against a bicameral one with two.
Poder Ciudadano citizen power — A branch of public power in Venezuela, represented by the Consejo Moral Republicano.
Poder Electoral electoral power — The branch of public power that runs elections in Venezuela.
Background
The U.S. Energy Information Administration records that the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, also known as OPEC, was formed in 1960 by Iraq, Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Venezuela, and that the organisation has since expanded to 13 members. Of those five founders, Venezuela is the only one in the Americas.
The same agency records that Venezuela had the largest proven crude oil reserves in the world in 2023, with approximately 303 billion barrels, accounting for approximately 17% of global reserves.
Reserves on that scale do not translate into output. Despite the sizeable reserves, Venezuela produced 0.8% of total global crude oil in 2023.
The reason lies in the nature of the deposits. Most of Venezuela's proven oil reserves are extra-heavy crude oil from the Orinoco Belt, which makes the crude somewhat expensive to produce, and the agency records that the extraction of extra-heavy crude oil requires a higher level of technical expertise. The Orinoco Oil Belt is spread over 19,000 square miles and is divided into 36 blocks within 4 exploration areas, Boyaca, Junin, Ayachucho, and Carabobo.
Venezuela also has reserves in and around Lake Maracaibo in the western part of the country. State policy requires the national oil company to hold at least 60% equity in joint ventures with foreign firms.
OPEC formed in:
1960
Founding members:
Iraq, Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Venezuela
OPEC members, on the agency's count:
13
Proven crude oil reserves:
303 billion barrels
Share of global reserves:
17% of global reserves
Share of global crude oil output:
0.8% of total global crude oil
Main reserve basin:
Orinoco Oil Belt
Extent of the Orinoco Oil Belt:
19,000 square miles
Why it matters for exams: The five founders of OPEC are asked in almost every general studies paper, and the gap between Venezuela's share of world reserves and its share of world output is the kind of figure pair that makes a good analytical question about heavy crude.
Kerala PSCUPSCBank
In plain words
OPEC Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries — A group of oil-exporting states that coordinates production targets among its members.
proven reserves proven crude oil reserves — The quantity of oil that has been found and can be recovered under present conditions.
extra-heavy crude oil extra-heavy crude oil — Very dense, slow-flowing crude oil that needs extra treatment or dilution before it can be moved and refined.
Background
Canaima National Park, decorated with flat-topped mountains, steep cliffs, and dramatic waterfalls, is one of the most notable landscapes in Venezuela. It spans more than 30,000 square kilometers (12,000 square miles), making it one of the largest parks in Venezuela.
Most of the park is covered by steep, flat-topped mountains known as tepuis, a word meaning house of the gods in the language of the native Pemón. More than 100 tepuis stand in the park, ranging 1,000 to 3,000 meters in height, and they are among the oldest geologic formations in South America.
The best known of them is the heart-shaped Auyán Tepui, home to the tallest waterfall on land. Angel Falls drops nearly 1,000 meters (3,300 feet), which NASA describes as 19 times higher than Niagara Falls. Like many tepuis, Auyán holds extensive cave systems, among them the Imawarì Yeuta quartzite caves.
Venezuela accepted the World Heritage Convention on 30 October 1990 and has three properties on the World Heritage List: Coro and its Port, inscribed in 1993, Canaima National Park in 1994 and the Ciudad Universitaria de Caracas in 2000. Two are cultural and Canaima National Park is the only natural one. Its tentative list includes Ciudad Bolivar in the narrowness of the Orinoco River.
Venezuela ratified the intangible heritage convention on 12 April 2007 and has 11 elements inscribed. They include Joropo in Venezuela, Venezuela's Dancing Devils of Corpus Christi, the Carnival of El Callao and La Parranda de San Pedro de Guarenas y Guatire on the Representative List, and the Mapoyo oral tradition and the Colombian-Venezuelan llano work songs on the Urgent Safeguarding List.
Tallest waterfall on land:
Angel Falls
Height:
nearly 1,000 meters (3,300 feet)
Tepui it falls from:
Auyán Tepui
Area of Canaima National Park:
30,000 square kilometers (12,000 square miles)
Tepuis in the park:
More than 100 tepuis
World Heritage properties:
3
Acceptance of the World Heritage Convention:
30 October 1990
Intangible heritage elements:
11
Why it matters for exams: The world's tallest waterfall, the tepui landform and a country's World Heritage count are three separate question types that all sit on the same park, and the distinction between the Representative List and the Urgent Safeguarding List is regularly tested.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
tepui tepui — A steep, flat-topped table mountain of the region, a remnant of an ancient sandstone plateau.
World Heritage List UNESCO World Heritage List — The list of cultural and natural properties of outstanding universal value kept under the World Heritage Convention.
Urgent Safeguarding List List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding — The UNESCO list for living traditions whose survival is at risk, kept separate from the Representative List.
Background
The Embassy of India in Caracas records that the two countries marked the 65th Anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations in 2024, and that Resident Embassies have been in Caracas and New Delhi for over four decades.
In the hydrocarbon sector, ONGC Videsh Limited (OVL) and Corporacion Venezolana del Petroleo (CVP), a subsidiary of PdVSA, run a joint venture called PetroleraIndovenezolana SA for the production and exploration of oil in the San Cristobal field. OVL holds 40% of it and PDVSA has 60%, and the OVL investment in the project is approximately US$ 200 million.
An international consortium of ONGC Videsh Limited (OVL), Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), Oil India Limited (OIL), Repsol of Spain and Petronas of Malaysia was declared the winner of an international bidding process in April 2008 to develop an oil project in Carabobo in the Orinoco belt of Venezuela.
On trade, the embassy gives bilateral trade for 2023-24 as 1,175.02 USD million in all, made up of Indian exports of 175.33 and Indian imports of 999.69, on figures from DGCI&S, Kolkata. Mineral fuels and oils head the embassy's list of main items in both directions, and on the embassy's own figures India's imports from Venezuela are far larger than its exports to it.
On the cultural side, an India Chair was set up at the University of Los Andes and at the Central University of Venezuela in Caracas, and the Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Study Centre was inaugurated in Caracas. The Mahatma Gandhi Foundation Venezuela runs regular diploma courses on Gandhian philosophy, and the International Day of Yoga has been celebrated annually since 2015.
Anniversary of diplomatic relations marked:
65th Anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations in 2024
Indian mission:
Caracas
Bilateral trade, 2023-24 (USD million):
1,175.02
India's exports (USD million):
175.33
India's imports (USD million):
999.69
Oil joint venture:
PetroleraIndovenezolana SA
OVL stake in the joint venture:
40%
OVL investment in the project:
US$ 200 million
Why it matters for exams: India's relations with a country are asked through four handles - when relations were established, where the missions are, what the trade is and which Indian public sector firms are present - and all four are on the record here, including the energy joint venture that explains why imports from Venezuela dwarf exports to it.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
OVL ONGC Videsh Limited — The overseas arm of India's Oil and Natural Gas Corporation, which holds India's oil and gas assets abroad.
PdVSA Petroleos de Venezuela SA — Venezuela's state oil company, whose subsidiary CVP is OVL's partner in the joint venture.
DGCI&S Directorate General of Commercial Intelligence and Statistics — The Indian office in Kolkata that compiles the country's official foreign trade figures.
Background
The United Nations says of the disputed Essequibo region that it "since 1899 has functioned as a territory administered by Guyana but is claimed by Venezuela".
Before the matter reached court it was handled through the Good Offices process of the United Nations Secretary-General, who appointed a Personal Representative on the border controversy between Guyana and Venezuela.
Guyana then filed its Application instituting proceedings at the International Court of Justice in 2018, and the case is on the Court's list as Arbitral Award of 3 October 1899 (Guyana v. Venezuela).
The Court has ruled at three stages. It delivered its Judgment of 18 December 2020 on the Jurisdiction of the Court; it delivered its Judgment of 6 April 2023 on the preliminary objection raised by Venezuela; and by its Order of 1 December 2023 the Court indicated provisional measures, an Order it later considered again on a request for modification.
The case then went to the merits. Guyana filed its Memorial of Guyana on the merits, Venezuela filed a Counter-Memorial and a Rejoinder, and public hearings on the merits were held at the Peace Palace, concluding with the Conclusion of the public hearings on the merits held from Monday 4 to Monday 11 May 2026.
Disputed region:
Essequibo
Court:
International Court of Justice
Case on the Court's list as:
Arbitral Award of 3 October 1899 (Guyana v. Venezuela)
Applicant:
Guyana
Judgment on jurisdiction:
Judgment of 18 December 2020
Judgment on the preliminary objection:
Judgment of 6 April 2023
Provisional measures:
Order of 1 December 2023
Seat of the hearings:
Peace Palace
Why it matters for exams: A live territorial case between two of South America's neighbours tests three things at once: which court hears it, what each stage of ICJ procedure is called, and the United Nations machinery that handled the controversy before it was litigated.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
provisional measures provisional measures — Interim orders the International Court of Justice can make to protect the rights of a party while a case is still being heard.
preliminary objection preliminary objection — An objection a respondent State raises to stop a case before the merits are argued, usually on jurisdiction or admissibility.
Good Offices Good Offices process — A United Nations method of helping two states settle a dispute through a representative of the Secretary-General, without a binding ruling.
Peace Palace Peace Palace — The building at The Hague that houses the International Court of Justice and its public sittings.
Background
The case is titled Arbitral Award of 3 October 1899 (Guyana v. Venezuela) at the International Court of Justice.
Guyana filed its Application instituting proceedings on 29 March 2018.
It concerns the 1899 Arbitral Award, which determined the boundary between the two nations.
On 6 April 2023 the Court delivered its judgment on the preliminary objection raised by Venezuela, after which the case proceeded to the merits.
Public hearings on the merits were held from 4 to 11 May 2026; the case is now in the merits phase.
Case instituted:
29 March 2018 / 2018 മാർച്ച് 29
Merits hearings:
4 to 11 May 2026 / 2026 മേയ് 4 മുതൽ 11 വരെ
Judgment on preliminary objection:
6 April 2023 / 2023 ഏപ്രിൽ 6
Why it matters for exams: The Essequibo dispute and the ICJ's role in boundary cases are recurring International Relations questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
ICJ International Court of Justice — The principal judicial organ of the United Nations, seated in The Hague.
Merits phase Merits phase — The stage in which the Court decides the substance of the dispute after jurisdiction is settled.
Background
The United Nations Member States list carries the entry 'Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of'.
Its Date of Admission is given as 15-11-1945.
That makes Venezuela a member from the first months of the UN, which came into being in 1945.
The UN's own member list is the primary record for any question on when a country joined.
Official name on UN list:
Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of
Date of Admission:
15-11-1945
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
UN United Nations — The world body of sovereign states formed in 1945.
Background
UNESCO's page for Venezuela lists three World Heritage properties.
Coro and its Port and Ciudad Universitaria de Caracas are cultural properties.
Canaima National Park is the natural property, inscribed under criteria (vii)(viii)(ix)(x).
The park covers 3,000,000 hectares in south-eastern Venezuela along the border between Guyana and Brazil.
Roughly 65% of the park is covered by table mountain (tepui) formations.
Venezuela ratified the World Heritage Convention on 30 October 1990.
World Heritage properties:
3
Canaima area:
3,000,000 hectares
Tepui cover in Canaima:
Roughly 65%
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Tepui Table mountain — A flat-topped mountain with steep cliffs, typical of Canaima.