Venezuela’s legislature moves to privatize oil sector - AP explains скачать в хорошем качестве

Venezuela’s legislature moves to privatize oil sector - AP explains

(29 Jan 2026) RESTRICTION SUMMARY: PLACEHOLDER ID: 26029819730071 ASSOCIATED PRESS Caracas, Venezuela - 29 January 2026 1. SOUNDBITE (English) Regina García Cano, The Associated Press: "So we're just leaving the National assembly today. They had a session in which they approved an overhaul of the country's oil industry law. It is for sure going to become Delcy's signature law as acting president, she requested it and it was swiftly approved after two discussions in the National Assembly of a ruling party majority. But even some of the opposition lawmakers were able today to participate in the debate and suggested a few changes including provisions that would ensure transparency and accountability. The law will basically allow for greater foreign investment. That is the aim according to analysts as well as President Delcy Rodriguez. It sets caps on royalties and also opens the industry to privatization which basically reverses a tenet of Chavismo. So it is a really important day for Venezuela and its oil industry which is basically the engine of the entire country." 2. Lawmakers voting on oil bill 3. National Assembly president Jorge Rodriguez showing bill 4. Oil workers with Venezuelan flag and picture of Nicolas Maduro and his wife Celia Flores 5. Rodriguez handing law to PDVSA president Héctor Obregón Pérez 6. Perez with the law 7. Lawmakers at assembly 8. Rodriguez talking to assembly members 9. Rodriguez talking to assembly members with photo of Celia Flores and Nicolas Maduro in the foreground 10. Photo of Celia Flores and Nicolas Maduro STORYLINE: Venezuela’s legislature on Thursday approved opening the nation’s oil sector to privatization, reversing a tenet of the self-proclaimed socialist movement that has ruled the country for more than two decades. The National Assembly approved the overhaul of the energy industry law less than a month after the brazen seizure of then-President Nicolás Maduro in a U.S. military attack in Venezuela’s capital. The bill now awaits the signature of acting President Delcy Rodríguez, who proposed the changes in the days after U.S. President Donald Trump said his administration would take control of Venezuela’s oil exports and revitalize the ailing industry by luring foreign investment. The legislation promises to give private companies control over the production and sale of oil and allow for independent arbitration of disputes. Rodríguez’s government expects the changes to serve as assurances for major U.S. oil companies that have so far hesitated about returning to the volatile country. Some of those companies lost investments when the ruling party enacted the existing law two decades ago to favor Venezuela’s state-run oil company, Petróleos de Venezuela SA, or PDVSA. The revised law would modify extraction taxes, setting a royalty cap rate of 30% and allowing the executive branch to set percentages for every project based on capital investment needs, competitiveness and other factors. It also removes the mandate for disputes to be settled only in Venezuelan courts, which are controlled by the ruling party. Foreign investors have long viewed the involvement of independent courts as crucial to guard against future expropriation. Ruling-party lawmaker Orlando Camacho, head of the assembly’s oil committee, said the reform “will change the country’s economy.” Oil workers dressed in red jumpsuits and hard hats celebrated the bill’s approval, waving a Venezuelan flag inside the legislative palace and then joining lawmakers to a demonstration with ruling-party supporters. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...