Delcy Rodríguez, the interim president of Venezuela, promised this Wednesday before the General Assembly of the UN in New York that Venezuela will hold elections, although without setting a specific date or timetable, and took the opportunity at the international forum to redefine the very concept of democracy before the gathered delegates.
"Democracy is not measured by the existence of elections. Democracy is measured by the quality of the competition that precedes those elections," declared the acting Venezuelan president from the podium of the General Assembly.
Rodríguez assured that the Venezuelan government "will guarantee real conditions for participation for all political forces in the country" and announced that "a political dialogue has already begun with sectors of the opposition to lead a process on equal terms for all."
However, he deliberately left the timing of the elections up in the air: "The Venezuelan people, with their ancestral wisdom, will determine the right moment, and their institutions will be prepared to ensure that inclusive and transparent process."
The speech at the UN came a day after the meeting he had with President Donald Trump at the Lotte New York Palace Hotel in Manhattan, marking the first in-person contact between a U.S. leader and a Venezuelan official in over eleven years.
The meeting, held behind closed doors, included the participation of Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, and Advisor Stephen Miller.
Rubio described the meeting as "brief but important" and revealed that the main topics were the restructuring of Venezuela's sovereign debt, economic stabilization, and the political transition towards free and fair elections.
The Venezuelan Foreign Minister Félix Plasencia González described the meeting as “the beginning of a new phase in the relationship between Venezuela and the United States”.
This approach is part of the accelerated normalization process between Caracas and Washington that began after the capture of Nicolás Maduro by U.S. forces on January 3, 2026, since which time Rodríguez has been serving as the acting president.
At the end of August, Trump announced a oil deal in which the company North American Blue Energy Partners acquired rights to 17 Venezuelan fields with approximately 65 billion barrels of proven reserves.
Washington has conditioned full normalization on elections with international observation, a free press, and a legitimate National Electoral Council. Rubio was explicit: “we want a lasting republic with a functional economy”.
The main figures of the majority opposition, María Corina Machado and Edmundo González Urrutia, remain outside the formal dialogue table and demand the release of political prisoners, specific electoral guarantees, and the return of exiles before validating any process.
In his remarks, Rodríguez also announced an "orderly legal reform" to strengthen the state, described the reform of the justice system as "urgent," and called on the international community for "support" without "any kind of interference" in Venezuelan affairs.
The electoral promise without a specific date contrasts with Rubio's demand for the elections to be held "as soon as possible," contingent upon sufficient time, a free press, a legitimate CNE, and international oversight.
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