Venezuela to Hold Elections, Interim President Tells UN

Venezuela's interim President Delcy Rodriguez told the UN General Assembly on Wednesday that the country will hold elections as part of a transition to "full democracy," though she did not specify when the vote would take place.

"I want to make this very clear at this General Assembly: there will be elections in Venezuela," Rodriguez said. She took power after American forces captured then-President Nicolas Maduro in a January raid.

Rodriguez said her government has begun talks with the opposition and will guarantee that all political forces can take part. National institutions, she added, are being prepared for the electoral process.

"We have opened a political dialogue with opposition groups aimed at a process with equal conditions for all," she said.

The pledge comes amid criticism that Washington has sidelined the Venezuelan opposition, setting aside demands for free elections in favour of oil and investment deals with the interim government. Some US lawmakers have also pressed for elections, arguing that the Trump administration has not secured meaningful democratic concessions from Rodriguez's government.

On the sidelines of the General Assembly, Rodriguez met briefly with US President Donald Trump on Tuesday and welcomed the resumption of dialogue between the two countries. Their discussions included restructuring Venezuela's billions of dollars in sovereign debt.

"This is the time to build the nation that many people want to return to," Rodriguez said, while cautioning that economic recovery "will take time."