Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodriguez addresses lawmakers next to a picture of former President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, at the National Assembly in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo\/Ariana Cubillos, File)<\/small><\/p>\n
2026-05-30T20:11:56Z<\/p>\n
CARACAS (AP) \u2014 Venezuela<\/a><\/span> \u2018s former opposition candidate Edmundo Gonz\u00e1lez<\/a><\/span> called on Saturday for presidential elections as the five-month mark of interim President Delcy Rodr\u00edguez\u2019s administration approaches in the wake of the U.S. military intervention that ousted Nicol\u00e1s Maduro<\/a><\/span> in early January.<\/p>\n The 76-year-old former diplomat was recognized by several countries as the legitimate winner of the July 2024 elections amid a post-election crisis and street protests as the opposition alleged fraud.<\/p>\n Electoral records that showed Gonz\u00e1lez\u2019s victory over Maduro were deemed credible by international observers.<\/p>\n In a message posted on social media, Gonz\u00e1lez stated that it is time to \u201cbuild the conditions for holding presidential elections that serve as citizen instruments for change\u201d and contribute to the re-institutionalization of the country and lay the foundations for a stable government. <\/p>\n His message comes just shy of the five-month anniversary of Rodr\u00edguez assuming power<\/a><\/span> on Jan. 5, following the arrest of Maduro and his wife, who are being prosecuted in the United States.<\/p>\n Maduro\u2019s former ally Rodr\u00edguez was recognized as president by the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump<\/a><\/span>, and the two countries have since made progress on a series of agreements that include the lifting of sanctions and negotiations in the oil and energy sectors, as well as the normalization of diplomatic relations.<\/p>\n Neither Caracas nor Washington has given any indication that elections are imminent in Venezuela. The U.S. has recognized Rodr\u00edguez as Venezuela\u2019s sole head of state, allowing her to reestablish ties with Western banks and more freely work with U.S. investors. <\/p>\n