President Donald Trump has said elections in Venezuela will take place at some point, while giving no date for a vote in the country where the United States captured and deposed its leader, Nicolas Maduro, earlier this year.

Trump made the remark to reporters on Monday, 9 November. It was the latest signal from Washington about the political future of Venezuela, where Delcy Rodriguez has served as interim president since Maduro was seized by US forces in a January raid and taken to New York to face trial.

Rodriguez promised a vote, but set no date

Rodriguez, who was Maduro's vice president before taking over as interim leader, has promised that Venezuela will hold elections as part of a transition to "full democracy". Addressing the United Nations General Assembly, she said the people of Venezuela would be given a vote, but she did not give a specific date.

She said her government had held talks with the opposition and would guarantee the participation of all political factions in an "inclusive and transparent" electoral process. Trump pressed Rodriguez on the importance of holding elections during their first in-person meeting, telling her: "You have to have elections at the end of the day."

Opposition pushes for a 2027 vote

Pressure for a timetable is growing from the opposition. Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Corina Machado returned to Venezuela on 25 October after almost a year in exile, and has said she is willing to meet Rodriguez to discuss the country's future. Her party is calling for elections to be held in 2027 and for Machado to be allowed to stand as a candidate, something she was barred from doing in the last presidential election.

Machado has repeatedly praised Trump for ordering the operation that removed Maduro, and even gave him the medal from her Nobel Prize. Trump has said he was unaware of her return in advance, but described her as "a very nice woman".

Analysts expect a long wait

Despite the promises, analysts and political sources say a vote may not happen for a year or more. Major institutional changes are planned first, including the replacement of all 32 Supreme Court judges and the five directors of the National Electoral Council, the country's top electoral body. Experts estimate it will take at least 12 months to appoint reliable authorities and organise the voting.

Two sources close to the talks said an election was unlikely before the end of next year. Risa Grais-Targow, Latin America director at political risk consultancy Eurasia Group, said the Trump administration was currently prioritising economic stability and oil-related deals under Rodriguez, "with little apparent urgency to move toward a fresh vote". She said new elections were unlikely before late 2027 at the earliest, and could take longer.

For now, Rodriguez remains in office with Washington's backing, having met key US demands, especially over access to Venezuela's oil. Whether Trump's latest remark turns into a firm date will depend on the institutional reforms and the talks between the interim government and the opposition in the months ahead.