Acting President Delcy Rodríguez announced Venezuela will hold elections under a renewed electoral authority with international witnesses, stopping short of setting a date. The address came as opposition leader María Corina Machado returned to Caracas, applying pressure for a swift transition. Rodríguez emphasized economic reforms, including 44 oil agreements and potential privatization of non-essential state assets, while pledging to increase workers' incomes fourfold by 2027.
She also promised not to detain protesters without court orders. Machado, speaking at a university, welcomed the election pledge but argued the US-backed roadmap—installing a new Supreme Court, revamping the electoral council, and declaring a presidential vacancy—should be executed simultaneously rather than sequentially. She questioned whether those who dismantled Venezuela's institutions could rebuild them.
The US removed Nicolás Maduro 11 months ago, backing Rodríguez, his former vice president.
Source: Bloomberg Markets · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing