Overview

• Large crowds registered in Caracas and multiple states at plazas and public buildings, with centers operating at sites including Miraflores Palace and the Cuartel de la Montaña.
• President Nicolás Maduro, who earlier ordered the deployment of 4.5 million militiamen, hailed the turnout as a successful show of nationalism and patriotism.
• Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López urged calm and described the activity as a voluntary popular mobilization, adding the enlistment push will continue and that authorities will soon provide a detailed balance.
• The government ties the mobilization to U.S. moves, citing a White House statement that Washington is prepared to use its power, including sending ships and soldiers near Venezuela to curb drug flows.
• Media reports also referenced U.S. accounts of three warships and roughly 4,000 personnel assigned to Caribbean operations, while opposition leader María Corina Machado urged citizens not to enroll, calling the effort political theater.