The Secretary of State Marco Rubio dismissed this Tuesday the possibility that the government of Delcy Rodríguez could use delaying tactics to indefinitely postpone the political transition process in Venezuela, and set a clear personal timeline: he intends to see the matter resolved long before leaving his position.
The statements arose during a teleconference whose transcript was published by the State Department, in response to a question from journalist Vera Bergengruen of the Wall Street Journal, who questioned whether Caracas could simply buy time until the U.S. administration changes.
Rubio was emphatic: "What if they are just trying to wear us down for two years? That's not going to happen."
The Secretary of State emphasized that there are agreed deadlines and that the Venezuelan authorities have met each of them to date, even despite the delays caused by the earthquake in June 2026, which resulted in over 5,000 deaths and forced a declaration of national emergency.
Rubio explained that Washington has a crucial pressure lever: Venezuela continues to operate under a sanctions regime, and the economic activities currently permitted depend on exemptions and general licenses that the U.S. government can modify or withdraw at any time.
The truth is that the United States has a significant influence over the direction these conversations take and the outcomes we achieve, he stated.
The secretary warned that if the process fails, Venezuela would revert to the initial situation—full sanctions, without the current economic incentives—and that the alternative to a negotiated transition could lead to violence or a civil war.
Rubio also made it clear that the commitment to the transition must be total and that it includes the interim authorities themselves: «I don't know what alternative they have, because if they don't cooperate with this, obviously... it is the reason why we have suspended some of these sanctions».
Regarding the schedule, the secretary acknowledged his own limitations: "At best, I have two years and two months left in this position. So clearly, I intend to see this project resolved well before I leave this position".
The roadmap that Washington is promoting for the Venezuelan transition outlines a precise institutional sequence: first, the renewal of the Supreme Court with 32 new magistrates, whose list must be presented to the National Assembly before December 11, 2026; second, the restructuring of the National Electoral Council to convert it into a technical body without the authority to disqualify candidates or parties; and third, the declaration by Rodríguez of the absolute vacancy of the Presidency, which would trigger a constitutional period of six months to call for elections.
The Judicial Nominations Committee, composed of 23 members—11 lawmakers and 12 representatives from civil society—was sworn in on October 22 and is already working against that deadline.
Rubio has insisted that the Venezuelan electoral infrastructure was designed to rig elections during Maduro's administration and must be replaced before any voting that could be considered legitimate.
The transition process was formally announced by Rubio on July 20, 2026, during a joint forum between the National Assembly elected in 2015 and the interim government, and the dialogue between chavismo and the opposition began in August of that year.
I feel very optimistic that we will meet those deadlines and reach where we need to be, concluded Rubio.
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