CARACAS — Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdodo Cabello rejected opposition demands for immediate general elections on Monday, asserting that the ruling party will hold votes "when they may be."
Speaking during the weekly press conference of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV), Cabello, who also serves as the party's general secretary, signaled that the government will not yield to pressure from political rivals.
"Now (the opposition) are asking for elections right now. The elections will be when they are, and on that day, the revolutionary forces will be prepared to win as we have always won," Cabello said, according to a broadcast on state-run Venezolana de Televisión (VTV).
Claims of conspiracy
Cabello accused unnamed individuals, some of whom benefited from a February amnesty, of using calls for elections to incite violence. He argued that the electoral process has failed to resolve the nation's underlying issues.
"It has been demonstrated here that elections are not the solution to the problems, because every time they lose an election, they enter a phase of conspiracy, of violence, of not recognizing the results," the minister stated.
The government continues to defend the contested 2024 presidential reelection of Nicolás Maduro. That result was proclaimed by an electoral body aligned with the administration, which notably failed to publish detailed, itemized vote tallies.
In contrast, the opposition claims victory for candidate Edmundo González Urrutia. The opposition maintains they possess more than 80% of the voting tallies collected during the previous contest.
Opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate María Corina Machado stated Sunday that Venezuelans are ready for new elections to facilitate a democratic transition. The opposition group, Plataforma Unitaria Democrática (PUD), recently presented a roadmap for free elections that includes appointing new authorities to the National Electoral Council (CNE).
While National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez previously indicated on March 2 that elections would occur, he emphasized that economic recovery remains the government's priority.
Other political factions are also weighing in on the timeline. The La Causa R party called Monday for a "clear" electoral schedule as soon as possible to meet citizen demands for change. Meanwhile, members of the Libertad parliamentary faction argued that institutional reforms are necessary to ensure any future vote carries legitimate guarantees.