Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned Tuesday not to expect “instant results” in the process of transitioning Venezuela from an authoritarian to a democratic state.
It has been seven months since the United States toppled Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro from power and established authority in the South American country, with officials touting a three-phase plan to transition Caracas from U.S. oversight to full independence once key reforms have been instituted. Maria Corina Machado, widely recognized as the leader of Venezuelan democratic opposition to the socialist regime, expressed hope after the American intervention that fair elections could be held by November.
Recommended Stories
This week, Rubio pushed back that timeline, saying he hoped Venezuela would be ready to hold democratic elections in “months,” as he urged critics not to expect overnight results in a country long riddled with corruption. To hold fair elections, the country would need freedom of the press, multi-party participation, national reconciliation, and an electoral commission that would accurately count the votes, the secretary of state said during an interview with Newsweek.
“The needle’s pointed in the right direction. And even though the progress is probably slower than all of us will want, there is progress and progress will happen, and we’re committed to it,” Rubio said. “I think it’s going to require some persistence and a little bit of patience, not years, but certainly months and weeks.”
“I know we are all used to instant results, or at least expectations of instant results,” he added. “But if you want to do it right, what you want to have is a democratic transition that happens that brings society together.”
Machado said in February that she believed a “real transferring process with manual voting … could be done in nine to 10 months,” speaking to her confidence that Venezuela could soon hold democratic elections.
Machado gained international recognition when she secured a sweeping victory in Venezuela’s October 2023 primary election, only to be barred by the Maduro regime from running in the 2024 presidential election. Machado endorsed the lesser-known Edmundo Gonzalez to run against Maduro in her place. But Maduro declared himself the winner in that election, prompting outrage from the U.S. and much of the international community, which viewed the declared victory as illegitimate.
GENERAL ‘RAZIN’ CAINE DIVULGES DETAILS ON TRUMP VENEZUELA OPERATION THAT CAPTURED MADURO
Rubio’s remarks on Tuesday cast doubt on Machado’s ambitious election timeline, after representatives of Venezuela’s interim government and opposition on Saturday sat down for negotiations aimed at rebuilding the country’s democratic institutions. Rubio pointed to Paraguay’s move away from authoritarian rule, which took almost three and a half years to complete.
“You’re dealing with a system that’s been in place now for almost three decades,” Rubio said. “So it’s not going to be from one day to the next.”
