Venezuela's long-promised election may not happen for a year or more, five political sources and analysts say, as court and electoral-authority overhauls slow the transition Acting President Delcy Rodriguez has pledged. Washington, meanwhile, is showing little urgency to push for a prompt vote.
Venezuela's long-awaited election could be delayed for a year or more, five political sources and analysts told Reuters, pointing to planned overhauls of the courts and electoral authorities. Two of the sources said a vote is unlikely before the end of next year.
Rodriguez, who took power after a US raid captured then-President Nicolas Maduro in January, told the UN General Assembly on Wednesday that state institutions were preparing for elections. Her government has opened talks with the opposition and would guarantee full participation, she said, though she gave no timetable.
Court and election council overhaul
At the center of the delay is the planned replacement of all 32 Supreme Court judges and the five directors of the National Electoral Council. Opposition groups and international rights observers have long said both bodies lack independence, and that Maduro's 2018 and 2024 re-elections were fraudulent. This institutional reform is under discussion in US-backed talks between Rodriguez's interim government and a faction of the opposition.
Even after a new electoral council is installed, authorities would still need to update voter rolls, ensure all parties can compete and resolve basic operational questions such as whether voting would be manual or electronic, said Oswaldo Martinez of Caracas-based consultancy ORC. That process alone could take up to a year, according to two sources close to the talks.
Washington's focus on stability and oil
US officials have said any political transition must be accompanied by economic and social stability, adding further uncertainty to the timeline. Some critics say Washington has sidelined the opposition and reduced the urgency for free elections in favor of oil and investment deals with the interim government, a dynamic that follows President Donald Trump's announcement last month of an unprecedented US push to take control of a fifth of Venezuela's oil reserves.
Risa Grais-Targow, Latin America director at political risk consultancy Eurasia Group, said the Trump administration is currently prioritizing economic stability and oil deals with little apparent urgency to move toward a fresh vote. That, along with some of the required institutional changes, suggests new elections won't be held until late 2027 at the earliest, with a possibility it takes longer.
Opposition leader and exiled Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Corina Machado has been notably absent from the talks, as her efforts to re-enter the country have been stymied. According to Nicholas Watson of consultancy Teneo: "Neither is taking decisive steps toward an electoral process."
Source: Commodities & Futures News
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