The Republican senator Ted Cruz demanded on Sunday that Venezuela hold democratic, free, and fair elections by no later than mid-2027, while also supporting the historic oil agreement announced days earlier by President Donald Trump, as he stated on the program “Meet the Press” from NBC News.
"It is necessary to have democratic and free elections in Venezuela," asserted the Texas legislator, who criticized the acting president Delcy Rodríguez, recalling that she was the vice president under Nicolás Maduro, who was captured by U.S. forces last January.
"Maduro was illegitimate. He was a Marxist. He had usurped power against the will of the voters, and from the beginning, I have been urging — and I believe the Administration is working on it — for free and fair elections to be held," Cruz declared.
The senator set mid-next year as the deadline for those elections and stated that the Trump administration is actively working in that direction.
The statements come two days after Trump announced the largest oil deal in history between the U.S. and Venezuela, through which American companies would gain majority control over more than 65 billion barrels of proven Venezuelan reserves, equivalent to about 21% of the country's total.
The agreement encompasses 17 strategic fields, includes a projected investment of over 100 billion dollars, a duration of 25 years, and a production target exceeding 1.5 million barrels per day.
Cruz praised the agreement and stated that, as announced, it could have a "very positive" impact on the U.S. economy, on jobs, and on gasoline prices in the long term.
The senator also emphasized that the energy pact and the electoral process must progress in parallel, without one blocking the other. "I don't think it matters much which of the two happens first. I believe the oil agreement will advance as quickly as possible, but free and fair elections must also be held promptly," he stated.
This position is consistent with the recent trajectory of the legislator regarding Venezuelan matters. In early August, Cruz and Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen pushed for a bipartisan resolution in the Senate that called for the beginning of a political transition in Venezuela through free elections, the release of political prisoners, and the involvement of all political actors, including María Corina Machado.
The oil agreement has generated divided reactions: chavista sectors protested in Caracas, while legislators like María Elvira Salazar publicly criticized it. Meanwhile, Trump declared this Sunday that part of Venezuelan crude would be used to replenish the Strategic Petroleum Reserve of the U.S., which is at its lowest level in over four decades.
Last March, Cruz had already predicted that changes in government could occur in Venezuela, Cuba, and Iran within six months, attributing this scenario to the strength of the Trump administration.
Related videos:
Filed under: