This Friday, July 3, marked the 180 days established by the Venezuelan Constitution as the maximum period for the temporary absence of the president of the republic, a threshold that, according to the opposition, mandates the declaration of the absolute absence of Nicolás Maduro and the calling of new presidential elections.
Omar González Moreno, national leader of Vente Venezuela —a party founded by María Corina Machado—, warned in an interview with Tania Costa, in CiberCuba, that the expiration of this deadline marks a point of no return for the constitutional order of the country.
"On July 3, the one hundred eighty days stipulated by the Constitution of Venezuela to declare the absolute absence of the president of the republic will be fulfilled, and as a result, new elections must be called. There is no possibility of prolonging this any further. Constitutionally, it cannot be extended," stated González Moreno.
The leader was straightforward in pointing out the consequences of Delcy Rodríguez continuing to lead the Executive without calling for elections: "Starting July 3, if she intends to remain in power, the constitutional thread has been broken, and consequently, we are faced with another dictatorship."
The constitutional clock began to tick on January 5, 2026, when the Supreme Court of Justice ordered Rodríguez to assume the interim presidency following the capture of Maduro in Caracas during Operation Absolute Resolution, carried out by U.S. forces on January 3, 2026.
Maduro faces charges of narco-terrorism and drug trafficking in a federal court in New York, where he pleaded not guilty on January 5, 2026, and remains detained at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.
The NGO Acceso a la Justicia warns that Venezuela is entering "a realm of open and unprecedented unconstitutionality" as the deadline passes without the National Assembly taking action. The TSJ, for its part, has resorted to the notion of "forced absence" —which does not exist in the constitutional text— to avoid declaring Maduro's absolute absence and thereby elude the obligation to call for elections.
González Moreno clarified that the elections do not need to be held immediately, but they must be called right away: “They must be called, and hopefully, it will be this year. The Venezuelan people demand that it be this year, and it is possible to do so.”
The leader directly appealed to Washington's role as a decisive factor in ensuring the Constitution is upheld: "Without its involvement, it would have been difficult for Maduro to face justice in a New York court, because he had the country's weapons, which he was using to maintain his grip on power, and the decision of the United States was crucial in bringing that to an end."
He added: "At this moment, the United States could complete the task by demanding adherence to what the Constitution states, calling for elections very soon, as soon as possible."
In that same context, González Moreno mentioned the imminent return of María Corina Machado to Venezuela, a return that has faced multiple obstacles: warnings from the Trump administration, the temporary closure of airspace by Rodríguez's regime, and Copa Airlines' refusal to transport her.
According to experts consulted by Infobae, the expiration of the 180 days without the National Assembly declaring Maduro's absolute absence raises questions about the very legality of Rodríguez's government, which has faced a citizen rejection rate of 63.3%, according to data released this month.
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