The Daily Journal.— U.S. President Donald Trump said Venezuela will eventually hold elections, but not in the immediate future because the country’s infrastructure has suffered extensive damage and much of the nation remains in ruins. During an interview with Fox News, Trump said his administration must first lead a national reconstruction effort before Venezuela can return to the ballot box.
When asked whether Venezuela could hold democratic elections in the near future and whether the opposition would likely win in a transparent vote, Trump agreed with that assessment but said the country must first rebuild.
“Yes, I think that will happen, and I believe we’re moving in that direction. But before we get there, it will take time. We have to rebuild the country.”
“They couldn’t even hold an election”
Trump argued that Venezuela’s institutional collapse and logistical challenges make it impossible to organize a credible election after the recent earthquake crisis.
“Right now they couldn’t even hold an election. The country has become a third-world nation, and under the current conditions they wouldn’t even know how to organize an electoral process.”
On July 3, six months had passed since the U.S. military intervention in Venezuela and the capture of Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, who are currently facing criminal proceedings in New York.
Following those events, the Supreme Tribunal of Justice appointed Delcy Rodríguez as acting president for a 180-day term. That period has now expired, and public debate continues over whether the country should call presidential elections.
Focus on rebuilding the energy sector
Trump said the cornerstone of his strategy centers on reviving Venezuela’s oil industry. According to the U.S. president, Washington would take responsibility for managing and rebuilding the country’s energy infrastructure.
“We’re going to rebuild the oil sector and the oil infrastructure. We’ll be in charge of it. It will work very well, it will generate a great deal of money, and from there we’ll rebuild the country. Eventually, there will be elections,” Trump concluded.
