Venezuela’s acting president promises elections but gives no date

Venezuela will hold elections, acting President Delcy Rodríguez told the U.N. General Assembly on Wednesday, but she offered no date, saying Venezuelans would decide the “right moment” for a vote.

“I wish to state this very clearly before this General Assembly: Elections will be held in Venezuela,” Rodríguez said. Her government has begun a “political dialogue with opposition sectors,” she added, seeking a “process based on equal conditions for all.” When the time comes, she said, Venezuela’s institutions “will be prepared to guarantee an inclusive and transparent process.”

Rodríguez, who had been vice president, took power after a U.S. military raid in January captured Nicolás Maduro and brought him to the United States to face drug trafficking charges. Her visit is the first by a Venezuelan head of state to the United States since Maduro attended the General Assembly in 2018. He is being held near U.N. headquarters while awaiting trial.

The speech came a day after Rodríguez and President Donald Trump met briefly at a reception he hosted in New York. It was their first in-person meeting since Maduro’s capture. Rodríguez said afterward on X that they had discussed strengthening ties and cooperation on energy, mining, security and other matters. Al Jazeera reported that their talks also covered restructuring Venezuela’s billions of dollars in sovereign debt.

The two countries announced an agreement last month giving the United States a stake in Venezuela’s oil reserves, according to NPR. Rodríguez described the deal as a step toward economic recovery and modernization of the oil industry. NPR also reported that Washington lifted sanctions against Rodríguez in April, among moves to recognize her authority.

In her address, Rodríguez thanked Trump for his willingness to resume diplomatic relations. She said the countries were working through differences by dialogue while pursuing cooperation on energy, security, transnational crime and the economy. “Today, Venezuela is being reborn,” she said.

Rodríguez acknowledged the difficulties facing her country. “I do not promise you an easy way forward,” she said, addressing Venezuelans. “Rebuilding our national soul will be the priority.” She pledged to lead Venezuela from uncertainty and conflict toward “full democracy,” while saying the country wanted to exercise its rights as a sovereign nation “without any kind of interference.”

NPR reported that Rodríguez’s reference to setbacks this year included two earthquakes that struck north-central Venezuela on June 24. The magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 quakes killed more than 6,500 people, left an unknown number missing and caused widespread devastation, according to NPR.

Her election pledge comes amid questions about the direction of U.S. policy. Critics say Washington has sidelined the Venezuelan opposition and set aside demands for free elections in favor of oil and investment deals with the interim government, Al Jazeera reported. Rodríguez gave no timetable for the vote, maintaining that Venezuelans would determine when it should take place.