The U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, urged on Wednesday to establish «as soon as possible» the conditions for holding elections in Venezuela, including the creation of a new electoral commission, during a hearing before the House of Representatives.
We would like to see it as soon as possible, but remember that five months have passed, not five years, nor 50 months. Five months is not a long time for a country that has gone through what that country has gone through, but we clearly need a new electoral commission, declared Rubio before the legislators.
The head of U.S. diplomacy set three conditions for Venezuela to hold free elections: an independent press, space for political parties to organize and mobilize, and a new electoral body to replace the National Electoral Council (CNE) controlled by chavismo.
Rubio insisted that the ultimate goal of Donald Trump's administration's policy towards Venezuela is to achieve "multi-party, free, and fair elections," although he did not provide a specific date for the elections.
The question posed by Congresswoman María Elvira Salazar specifically asked when the political transition phase will begin and whether Washington should send a clear signal now regarding the holding of free and fair elections.
In this regard, Salazar stated that transparent elections would allow for the consolidation of the rule of law and attract new U.S. investments to the country.
In the same hearing, the Secretary of State also defended the management mechanism of Venezuelan oil revenues, denying that any individual is personally benefiting from the sales.
He explained that the funds are deposited in a blocked account at the Treasury in Citibank, audited by the firm KPMG—hired and paid for by the Venezuelan government itself—and that the permitted expenses are agreed upon by both parties.
"The money spent in Venezuela is audited by KPMG. It only goes to certain designated points and does not benefit any individual," he stated.
This appearance comes a day after Rubio testified before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on the State Department, where he also addressed the situation in Venezuela.
The three-phase plan for Venezuela —stabilization, recovery, and transition towards free elections— was presented by Rubio in January 2026, following the capture of Nicolás Maduro on the 3rd of that month.
The political context in Venezuela changed dramatically when Maduro was arrested, accused of narcoterrorism in New York, and Delcy Rodríguez, his former vice president, was sworn in as acting president on January 5. Washington restored diplomatic relations with Venezuela and, in its own words, is exercising "tutelage" over the new government.
The last Venezuelan presidential elections were held on July 28, 2024, when the Chavista CNE proclaimed Maduro's reelection without publishing the electoral records.
The opposition claimed victory for its candidate, Edmundo González Urrutia, who is currently in exile in Spain. On May 30, he called for elections to be held under non-negotiable conditions, including the release of political prisoners and an independent electoral referee.
The opposition leader María Corina Machado, Nobel Peace Prize winner 2025 and resident of the United States, announced last week that she will return "soon" to Venezuela and that she aims to be a presidential candidate in "clean and free" elections.
Rubio himself acknowledged on May 27, in a cabinet meeting with Trump, that Venezuelan oil is no longer being stolen: "For the first time, that money is not being stolen. It's going to benefit the Venezuelan people."
Foro Penal reported more than 454 political detainees in Venezuela during May 2026, highlighting that the conditions for free elections are still far from being met according to international standards.
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