US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Monday that Venezuela must replace its Maduro-era electoral infrastructure “quickly” before any valid presidential election can be held.
“That infrastructure has to be replaced in order for these elections to be valid,” Rubio told reporters in a teleconference. “Not in 10 years, not in five years, not in two years; it needs to happen quickly under the timelines that we’ve established.”
He said the current election infrastructure was “designed by the Maduro regime to rig elections,” referring to the Supreme Justice Tribunal and the National Electoral Council.
“How can you have a legitimate election in Venezuela when the Electoral Council is controlled by people loyal to one side?” he said.
He warned that interim authorities cannot stall the process, saying “no one’s going to wait us out.”
“We have timelines that are agreed to, and so far, they’ve met every one of the timelines,” he said, noting Venezuela is “still heavily sanctioned” and operates under US waivers and general licenses.
Rubio also cautioned that failing to secure a negotiated political transition could lead to a return to authoritarian rule or renewed armed conflict while expressing confidence that the interim authorities would maintain their cooperation.
Source of information: Global News Agencies including REUTERS / TASS / AFP / ANADOLU / INT.RU / Al Jazeera / CNN
