In a statement reported by TASS, United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that elections in Venezuela should ideally take place next year, though he declined to guarantee that the vote would occur before the term of President Donald Trump ends on January 20, 2029.
Rubio said Venezuela still must take several critical steps to create proper conditions for a free and fair vote, emphasizing that the political environment must be proven ready before any election can be considered.
The U.S. has previously mentioned the timing of Venezuelan elections. In May, the U.S. secretary of energy—though the source refers to an Energy Secretary—stated that elections would be held while Trump was still in office. Earlier, Trump himself said in an interview with Time magazine in early October that it was too early to hold elections in Venezuela.
Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, addressed the United Nations General Assembly in a separate statement. Rodriguez noted that the country would hold a presidential election once its people consider the time right, not when they receive orders from abroad.
