The acting president of Venezuela, Delcy Rodríguez, promised this Wednesday that her country will hold elections, but conditioned the voting on Venezuela being "ready," without providing any specific timeline.
The statements were made at the Miraflores Palace in Caracas during a press conference alongside the United States Secretary of Energy, Chris Wright, who visited the Venezuelan capital to sign new oil agreements with Chevron and Eni.
Rodríguez's words: a promise without a deadline
“I have worked tirelessly to ensure that Venezuela is ready and prepared for when it's time to go to its electoral process, which will happen, make no mistake about it, there will be an electoral process, but under the conditions that Venezuela is prepared for,” Rodríguez stated to the journalists.
When pressed about the calendar, the leader was equally evasive: "In Venezuela, there is a Constitution and an electoral and democratic system outlined in the Constitution. The second point is that I don’t set a date."
Rodríguez also criticized those he described as "extremists": “The path where extremism sees no benefits in these tremendous energy agreements; the path where intolerance prevails in relationships; the path where hatred prevents seeing the other.”
Regarding the sanctions, he added: "We continue to work with the authorities to ensure that the sanctions system is definitively lifted and that the Venezuelan economy and social development can progress without any difficulties."
The echo of Trump: almost the same words
One of the most striking elements of Rodríguez's speech is the similarity to what Donald Trump had said just hours earlier from the Oval Office.
«I don't think they are ready yet. It's something very recent. We got them out of a dictatorship and we are getting along very well with the government. Delcy, as you know, is doing a very, very good job. She is very respected. We want elections and they do too. Delcy wants them, but they are still not ready», said Trump.
Both employ a similar argument to postpone the elections: linking them to the country's preparedness, without setting a specific date for now.
Trump and Rodríguez agree in stating that Venezuela is still not ready to hold elections, while the process of stabilization and economic recovery is ongoing.
The Secretary of State Marco Rubio explained that same day the plan in three phases: stabilization, economic recovery, and political transition.
Rubio also mentioned the difficulties of calling for elections immediately: "If there are elections in Venezuela tomorrow, they will use the existing machinery. Of course, that machinery won't provide you with a system. There are many things that need to be cleared up."
The debate on constitutional deadlines
The absence of a specific date raises questions about the constitutional fit of the current political process in Venezuela.
The Venezuelan Constitution distinguishes between temporary and absolute faults of the president and establishes different procedures and timelines based on the circumstances in which they occur.
In particular, Article 233 provides for the holding of elections within 30 consecutive days when the absolute vacancy of the president occurs before taking office or during the first four years of the constitutional term.
The situation that emerged following the capture of Nicolás Maduro in January 2026 raises a debate regarding which constitutional provisions apply to Rodríguez's current interim mandate and what timeline should govern a future electoral call.
The oil agreement that serves as a backdrop also generates controversy. Trump called it "historic" last week. The agreement includes the exploitation of 17 fields that hold nearly one-fifth of Venezuela's oil reserves.
Chevron announced an investment of over $7 billion over the next five years to expand its operations.
Critical sectors question the progress of the oil industry's recovery as Venezuela remains without a defined timeline for presidential elections.
Machado demands a specific schedule
This Thursday, the opposition leader María Corina Machado —Nobel Peace Prize 2025 and currently in Panama— responded with a more concrete stance.
"The citizens are currently asking that, in parallel with the economic reforms, we are able to strengthen our institutions and, above all, have an electoral calendar where we can come together as a nation and elect a new president; and nothing will stop us until we achieve this," Machado stated in a video from Panama, as reported by EFE.
Machado was clear in her diagnosis: the "transition to democracy has not yet happened."
The dialogue between the Venezuelan government and a sector of the opposition, sponsored by Washington, began in August and is scheduled for a new round in October.
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