Venezuela’s ‘Reborn’ Campaign: Murals of Chávez and Maduro Disappear as Delcy Rodríguez Promises Elections

Caracas is scrubbing its walls, but the question on everyone’s mind is whether the paint is covering up a past or a future.

Across the Venezuelan capital, towering murals of Hugo Chávez and Nicolás Maduro — once inescapable symbols of the socialist revolution — are being painted over or pulled down. In their place, new blue banners bearing the slogan “Venezuela renace” (Venezuela reborn) have appeared, as the administration of acting president Delcy Rodríguez tries to project a fresh start.

The makeover comes eight months after a stunning US military raid in January captured Maduro and brought him to New York to face drug-trafficking charges. Rodríguez took over as interim leader, and her government now faces twin challenges: convincing the world it is legitimate, and convincing Venezuelans it is offering real change.

Speaking at the United Nations General Assembly on September 24, Rodríguez promised elections “as part of a transition to full democracy” — but she gave no date. “The Venezuelan people will determine the best time,” she said, adding that her government had opened a “political dialogue with opposition sectors” to ensure a “process based on equal conditions for all.”

Her words drew immediate skepticism. Just a day earlier, Venezuelan exiles and opposition supporters protested outside UN headquarters in New York, calling on world leaders not to normalise relations with an administration they branded illegitimate. “It’s a rebranding, not a rebuild,” said one protester at the rally, which was covered by Al Jazeera.

The mural war: erasure or evolution?

On the ground in Caracas, the changes are visible and visceral. The Palace of Justice, once flanked by twin portraits of Chávez and 19th-century revolutionary Simón Bolívar, has seen both images covered. Graffiti and murals are being systematically removed.

For artist Víctor Rodríguez, who paints under the name Forastero, the trend is painful. He helped create a giant mural for Chávez’s birthday on July 28 and credits the late leader with opening cultural spaces for artists from poor neighbourhoods. “Chávez represents revolution. He is anti-imperialist,” he told Al Jazeera. “But now Chávez murals are disappearing.”

The Rodríguez camp insists the visual overhaul is part of a genuine opening. The government has begun debt restructuring talks with US President Donald Trump — a move that signals a shift from Maduro’s combative stance. Rodríguez met Trump briefly on the sidelines of the UNGA on September 23, according to Al Jazeera.

Yet for many Venezuelans, the new olive branches feel hollow while elections remain unscheduled and the old guard still holds power. The key question — for investors, diplomats, and the 7 million-plus Venezuelans who have fled the country since 2014 — is whether “Venezuela renace” is a genuine political pivot or just fresh paint on a crumbling facade.