On July 2, 2026, the 180-day constitutional deadline expires for the National Assembly of Venezuela to declare the absolute absence of President Nicolás Maduro, who has been out of the country since January 3, 2026. This date coincides with a state of exception decreed following two earthquakes that struck northern Venezuela on June 24, 2026, devastating infrastructure and exposing institutional fragility. Organizations such as Ideas por la Democracia and the Bloque Constitucional de Venezuela argue that the natural catastrophe is not the primary disaster, but rather the pre-existing institutional crisis characterized by the centralization of power and human rights violations. They emphasize that the emergency does not suspend the Constitution and that national reconstruction requires legitimate authorities—which do not currently exist—warning that the situation could be exploited to evade constitutional obligations and consolidate authoritarianism.