Venezuela to hold elections, says acting President Delcy Rodríguez at UNGA

Venezuela will hold elections, transition to full democracy: Delcy Rodríguez thanks Trump for resuming diplomatic ties at UNGA

New York, September 24

Addressing the United Nations General Assembly for the first time, Rodríguez said she would take "historic responsibility" for guiding Venezuela from a period of uncertainty and conflict towards a democratic system recognised by both its citizens and the international community.

"I will assume a historic responsibility. That is the responsibility of taking Venezuela from uncertainty and conflict to a full democracy, which is recognised by its own people and the world," she said.

She said the country had started a democratic transition process and assured that it would be transparent, inclusive and verifiable.

"We have begun a political dialogue with sectors of the opposition, which will lead to a process where everyone will compete on an equal footing," she said.

Her remarks came a day after advisers of Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado said she was denied entry into the country three times while attempting to return from exile.

Rodríguez thanked US President Donald Trump for what she described as his willingness to restart diplomatic engagement and cooperation with Caracas.

She said Venezuela wants to rebuild ties with the United States, neighbouring countries and the wider international community on the basis of cooperation, mutual respect and equality.

"Venezuela aspires - with the United States, with its neighbours, and with all the countries of our continent and the international community - to rebuild and sustain relations based on cooperation, respect, and equality," Rodríguez said.

She said Venezuela was seeking a "rebirth" after facing two major challenges this year, what she called the "strangulation of its internal political life and the heightened confrontation with the United States", followed by the impact of twin earthquakes on June 24.

She said the earthquakes caused widespread destruction, resulting in more than 6,500 deaths and significant material losses.

The Trump administration captured and detained former President and dictator Nicholas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores during a pre-dawn operation in January and subsequently transferred them to a US naval vessel before being flown to New York for indictment.

The US military actions had drawn scrutiny from legal experts, who have raised concerns about potential violations of international law.

Trump, meanwhile, defended the transition in Venezuela, saying the US had removed the country from what he called a "very powerful, very nasty dictatorship" under which many people had been imprisoned.

— ANI