Venezuela's interim president promises elections in UN address

Venezuela's interim President Delcy Rodríguez promised the UN General Assembly on September 23, 2026, that the country will hold elections as part of a transition to full democracy, though she did not provide a specific date. Rodríguez, who took power after a January 2026 U.S. military raid captured Nicolás Maduro, met with U.S. President Donald Trump to discuss energy deals and debt restructuring. Critics accuse Washington of sidelining the Venezuelan opposition in favor of oil interests.

Ouster and Detention of Nicolás Maduro

• ▪Delcy Rodríguez assumed power as Venezuela's acting president after a surprise United States military raid in January 2026 captured then-President Nicolás Maduro in Caracas and brought him to the United States to face drug trafficking charges
• ▪Former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro is currently being held in custody awaiting trial in the United States, only a few miles from the United Nations headquarters in New York

Rodríguez's Address and Election Pledges

• ▪Venezuela's interim President Delcy Rodríguez stated that her government has initiated a political dialogue with opposition sectors to secure an inclusive, transparent electoral process based on equal conditions for all political forces
• ▪Venezuela's interim President Delcy Rodríguez promised the United Nations General Assembly on September 23, 2026, that Venezuela will hold elections as part of a transition to full democracy, without providing a specific date
• ▪Delcy Rodríguez's address to the United Nations General Assembly on September 23, 2026, marked the first in-person appearance of a Venezuelan head of state at the assembly since Nicolás Maduro attended in 2018

US-Venezuela Diplomatic Relations

• ▪The United States government has stated that Venezuela must first stabilize and recover economically before democratic elections can take place in the country
• ▪Critics and some United States lawmakers argue that the Trump administration has sidelined the Venezuelan opposition and dropped demands for free elections in favor of securing oil and investment deals with Delcy Rodríguez's interim government
• ▪Venezuela's interim President Delcy Rodríguez met with United States President Donald Trump at a reception in New York on September 22, 2026, to discuss bilateral relations, sovereign debt restructuring, and energy cooperation

María Corina Machado

• ▪Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado has been blocked seven times from returning to Venezuela, with airlines threatened and planes forced to divert, according to her political committee Comando ConVzla on September 22, 2026
• ▪Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado left Venezuela to receive her Nobel Peace Prize after living mostly in hiding since a contested 2024 presidential election

Debatable claims

• ▪Venezuela should prioritize economic stabilization before holding democratic elections
• ▪The United States should condition economic cooperation with Venezuela on immediate free elections