The president in charge of Venezuela, Delcy Rodríguez, ratified this Wednesday during the 81st General Assembly of the United Nations that the country will hold new elections within a process of institutional opening and dialogue. In his speech, he highlighted the unprecedented bilateral rapprochement with the United States and the national reconstruction after the devastating earthquake of June 24.
In his speech at the headquarters of the world organization in New York, Rodríguez placed the call to the polls as the central pillar of a new political stage for the nation.
“In Venezuela there will be elections. And in that direction we have initiated a political dialogue with sectors of the opposition that will lead a process on equal terms for all”he asserted.
He stressed that the quality of the electoral process will prevail over rushed deadlines, and that the legitimacy of the elections will depend on prior guarantees.
“Democracy is not measured by the existence of elections. Democracy is measured by the quality of the competition that precedes those elections,” said Rodríguez.
He added that the national institutions will be in charge of determining the appropriate time for the votes.
Institutional and reconciliation route
In front of the plenary session, Rodríguez defined this moment as a situation of profound renewal to leave political polarization behind and stressed that change in Venezuela will not come from a violent rupture, arguing that the most solid transitions are achieved through “transformation driven firmly from the institutions themselves.”
“I am pleased to announce that Venezuela has begun a process of democratic transformation for its rebirth, an orderly, institutional and verifiable process to build a country that is freer for all, more prosperous and more reconciled with itself. History has taught us that some of the most solid democratic transitions in the contemporary world were not born from the rupture, but from the transformation driven firmly from the institutions themselves,” he said.
Historic turn with the US and energy stability
The interim president highlighted the recomposition of ties with Washington after years of distancing and valued the willingness of the US government to resume diplomatic relations. He described the recent bilateral agreement as one of the largest ever signed by the country.
He stated that both nations are working to “pave the way for energy relations, the promotion of security, the common fight against transnational crime and economic cooperation for the benefit of both peoples”.
Overcoming the crisis and the impact of the 2026 earthquake
Rodríguez reviewed critical moments this year by pointing out that the nation was hit by both political strangulation and the tragedy caused by the double earthquake on June 24, for which he thanked the humanitarian aid of the UN system and the international community.
“In 2026, Venezuela has experienced two great and painful tests in its life as a nation. One derived from the strangulation of its internal political life and the intensified confrontation with the United States of America. Another coming from the ferocity of nature, the double earthquake of June 24. I want to thank all the countries of America, Europe, Asia, Africa, the Middle East, as well as the entire United Nations system that offered its solidarity to the Venezuelan people during the hours darkest conditions caused by the double earthquake,” he said.
Rodríguez addressed a message to the millions of Venezuelans who have been displaced in recent years due to the socioeconomic crisis.
“To the young people who have grown up seeing a fractured country and who many times decided to leave looking for what they could not find in our country, I tell you that it is worth believing again. This is the time to build the country to which many want to return and not only the one from which many wanted to flee,” he concluded.
