Venezuela’s interim president Delcy Rodríguez pledged that the country will hold elections during her first address to the United Nations General Assembly as Venezuela’s leader, although she did not provide a specific date.
Rodríguez addressed the General Assembly in New York on Wednesday, marking the first in-person appearance by a Venezuelan leader before the UN body since Nicolás Maduro in 2018.
A historic meeting
Her speech came one day after her meeting with US President Donald Trump. The meeting took place behind closed doors at the Lotte New York Palace Hotel during a reception hosted by Trump.
It was the first meeting between a Chavista leader and a US president since Hugo Chávez met Bill Clinton in 1999, apart from a brief conversation between Nicolás Maduro and Barack Obama in 2015.
The interim president described her meeting with Trump as “historic” and said they discussed issues of mutual interest, including strengthening bilateral relations.
Rodríguez had previously addressed the General Assembly in 2019 as Venezuela’s vice president, when she accused Washington of exercising “state terrorism” against her country. This time, however, her speech took a different tone, as she thanked President Trump for the restoration of diplomatic relations with Venezuela.
Promise of elections in Venezuela
Rodríguez’s comments on future elections come amid questions over the progress of Venezuela’s democratic transition. Those concerns increased following the oil agreement between Caracas and Washington, which led critics to question whether the United States was prioritising economic interests over Venezuela’s democratic transition.
At the beginning of September, Trump said Venezuela was not ready to hold new elections. Amid the uncertainty, Rodríguez told the United Nations General Assembly that the country would hold elections. “There will be elections in Venezuela,” the interim president said. However, she did not provide a specific date.
María Corina Machado attempts to return to Venezuela
Rodríguez’s address comes as opposition leader María Corina Machado attempts to return to Venezuela. Her team said three attempts to return to the country this week had failed. Machado attempted to travel to Venezuela from Panama by both air and sea.
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he was unaware of Machado’s attempts to return to Venezuela. “I’ve been here all day, so I’m not sure what you’re talking about,” Rubio said when asked about the situation. Nevertheless, he reiterated his desire to see Venezuelans to be able return to their country.
Rodríguez rejected violence and called for dialogue as the only way to resolve conflicts. The interim president closed her speech by advocating for a new chapter in relations between Venezuela and the United States.
A brief encounter with Pedro Sanchez
Before her address, Rodríguez walked across the General Assembly Hall to approach Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez. Sánchez was speaking on the phone when Venezuela’s interimpresident arrived and appeared not to notice her at first. Rodríguez then waited behind him until Sánchez ended the call and turned to greet her.
Video link of full speech- follow here
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