In a statement reported by Russian news agency TASS, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that elections in Venezuela would "ideally" be held next year, but he declined to guarantee that the vote would take place before Donald Trump’s term ends.
"Elections in Venezuela would 'ideally' be held next year," Rubio said.
Rubio went on to note that Venezuela still has to take several critical steps to create the right conditions for a free and fair vote, emphasizing that a suitable political and institutional framework must be established before any return to democratic governance.
Earlier, in May Rubio said that elections would likely be held while Trump was still in office. However, a month later Trump himself told a Time magazine audience that it was too early for Venezuela to hold elections, underscoring the current uncertainty about the timeline.
Venezuela’s authorized president Delcy Rodríguez addressed the UN General Assembly on the same matter, stating that the country would hold a presidential election once its people regarded the timing as right, not in response to foreign pressure.
These remarks illustrate a divergence between US expectations and Venezuelan self‑determination. No formal U.S. commitment has been made, and the conditions for a fair ballot remain unresolved.
For now, the answer to when and how Venezuela will hold elections is not clear. The US administration’s position is cautious, and Venezuelan officials insist that the timing will be an internal decision.
Uncertainties remain about whether the election will occur before President Trump’s term ends, whether Venezuela will satisfy the critical steps outlined by the US, and how international and domestic pressures will influence the eventual vote schedule.
