Related videos:
It has been exactly three months since Nicolás Maduro was captured in Caracas by special forces from the United States, and Venezuela still has no elections in sight, with Delcy Rodríguez clinging to the interim presidency with the backing of Donald Trump, noted the Spanish newspaper El País.
On January 3, 2026, a U.S. command carried out "Operation Absolute Resolution" and arrested Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, while they were sleeping in Caracas.
Two days later, the Supreme Court of Justice (TSJ) issued a three-page expedited ruling that described the situation as "forced absence" — a term that does not exist in the Venezuelan Constitution — to swear in Rodríguez as acting president without activating the electoral mechanisms required by the Constitution.
"The original sin lies in that sentence," warn legal experts and human rights organizations, who point out that the constitutional clock is ticking without chavismo showing any intention to call for elections.
On the international front, the United States lifted the sanctions that were imposed on her as part of an implicit agreement that has sparked controversy both inside and outside Venezuela.
Rodríguez, for her part, publicly thanked the measure and spoke about the normalization and strengthening of relations between our countries.
In the legislative sphere, the Amnesty Law unanimously approved in February was interpreted by some sectors as a sign of openness, although critics label it as cosmetic as long as there is no clear electoral calendar.
Meanwhile, in U.S. courts, Judge Alvin Hellerstein rejected the motion to dismiss the case for narcoterrorism against Maduro and Cilia Flores, which keeps judicial pressure on chavismo alive and conditions any future political negotiation, according to El País.
The question that dominates the analyses is when and how elections will be called. The most heard response among sources close to the government is blunt: "Elections will be held when ordered by the U.S. government."
Filed under: