The US has proposed that presidential elections be held in Venezuela in 2027, said Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado. She made the statement at a press conference in Caracas, just a few days after returning to the country.
„US Secretary of State Marco Rubio outlined a sequence of steps for a transition to democracy, from which it clearly follows that presidential elections will be held in 2027“, Machado said. She added that she would ensure that all Venezuelans eligible to vote can vote.
Washington supports changes before the elections
Machado's statement comes amid negotiations supported by the Donald Trump administration between the interim government of Delcy Rodriguez and opposition groups. Machado's Vente Venezuela movement is not participating in the talks.
The main topic of the negotiations is the change of the electoral council and the Supreme Court of Venezuela before the next elections. On October 26, Marco Rubio said that the electoral infrastructure in the country is designed to falsify elections and must be changed quickly before a real and legitimate vote can be held.
However, Rubio did not specify a specific deadline for the elections. Machado had previously said that the presidential vote should take place by mid-2027. The U.S. State Department did not immediately comment on her statement.
Rodriguez also promised elections, but without a date
Interim President Delcy Rodriguez said that Venezuela would hold elections organized by a renewed electoral body. However, she did not specify when the presidential vote would be held.
“There will be elections organized by a renewed electoral body and with the whole world as witnesses“, said Delcy Rodriguez.In this way, both the interim government and the opposition are talking about future elections, but for now there is a discrepancy regarding the degree of commitment to the specific year of 2027. Machado presents the year as the result of the American transition plan, while Rodriguez speaks of elections without a specified calendar.
Maria Corina Machado returned to Venezuela on October 25 after nearly 10 months outside the country. At the press conference, she avoided answering questions about Donald Trump's statements that he did not have enough support to lead the country immediately, as well as about his words that Venezuela could become the 51st US state.
Sources: ukrinform.ua, investing.com, apnews.com