Machado says Venezuela elections could be held in 2027

Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado said Thursday that U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio had outlined a path to democratic transition that would lead to presidential elections in 2027, while emphasizing that the interim government has not set an election date. Machado made the remarks at a press conference in Caracas after returning to Venezuela on October 25, following months abroad. She said she had returned to mobilize Venezuelan society ahead of a future vote and would work to ensure all eligible citizens could participate. Her description of the 2027 timetable was an account of Rubio’s proposed sequence, not a formal election schedule announced by Washington or Venezuela’s interim authorities. The U.S. State Department had not immediately commented on her account. Machado said the interim government had promised elections but had yet to specify when they would take place. Machado also welcomed comments by interim President Delcy Rodríguez supporting elections. The transition discussions include possible changes to Venezuela’s electoral council and top court, though Machado’s Vente Venezuela movement has not been included in negotiations between Rodríguez’s...