The former Colombian president Iván Duque called for speeding up free elections in Cuba and Venezuela as the only legitimate way out of the tyrannies that persist in both countries, during an intervention before the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) in Washington.
"During years, the regime of Venezuela financed and sustained the dictatorship of Cuba. Today the dictator is no longer present, but the tyranny persists. the only legitimate solution is to expedite free elections and allow the will of the people to prevail," stated Duque in remarks shared on his social media.
The former Colombian president (2018-2022) explained that after the fall of the Soviet Union, Venezuela became the main economic supporter of the Cuban regime, providing resources, energy, and money for its survival.
"Fidel Castro promoted Hugo Chávez so that the Venezuelan government would provide resources, energy, and money for their survival," noted Duque, who added that it was no coincidence that when Maduro was brought before U.S. justice, he was protected by more than 40 Cuban G2 operatives.
Duque also accused Cuba of using Venezuela as a channel to influence other Latin American countries and destabilize democratic governments, including his own during his presidential term.
The context of his statements is the capture of Nicolás Maduro on January 3, 2026, in Caracas, during the so-called "Operation Absolute Resolution", after which he was transferred to New York and held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, where he faces charges of narco-terrorism and drug trafficking.
Since then, Rodríguez assumed the interim presidency of Venezuela on January 5 of 2026, and Duque described her harshly: "Let's call her the head housekeeper. That’s the role she wants to play, and she is very good at acting."
According to the former leader, Rodríguez is implementing a calculated wait strategy: she is awaiting the midterm elections in the United States, hoping that Washington gets distracted with other global issues and maneuvers to hold on to power until 2027 without conceding.
"This is your playbook," warned Duque, who emphasized that although the tyrant is no longer in Venezuela, the tyranny has not fallen.
Duque was emphatic that Venezuela's institutional legitimacy can only arise from free elections: "For Venezuela to be a country with institutional credibility and guarantees for its citizens, there must be a legitimate government, and that can only emerge from fair elections."
The former president supported María Corina Machado as the undisputed leader of the Venezuelan democratic resistance, recalling that Edmundo González won the 2024 elections by an overwhelming majority and that the opposition managed to document the results with records collected by citizens.
"If there are open elections in Venezuela, she will win by a wide margin," he stated about Machado.
Duque also warned about the risks of a delayed transition: "If this takes longer and that time is exploited by the operators of tyranny, it can become more complicated, not only for Venezuela but for the entire region."
The Secretary of State Marco Rubio has described the Venezuelan process in three stages—stabilization, transformation, and transition—which he believes may overlap. However, organizations like Rubio has outlined the Venezuelan process in three stages and organizations like Provea warn that the constitutional deadlines to call elections are approaching their limit in July 2026.
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