New York (AP/dpa) – Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodríguez on Wednesday announced elections and political change in the country.

"In Venezuela there will be elections," Rodríguez said during an address to the UN General Assembly in New York.

She said the government had begun talks with parts of the opposition aimed at creating equal conditions for all sides.

Rodríguez said elections alone were not enough to measure democracy and that the quality of the political competition leading up to them was crucial. An election should provide a solution and not create new irreconcilable conflicts, she said.

She said Venezuela had started a democratic transition to ensure its rebirth, describing it as "an orderly, institutional, and verifiable process to build a country that is freer for all, more prosperous, and more at peace with itself."

She also announced reforms to the justice system and equal conditions for all political forces.

No clear timeline

Rodríguez did not give a date for the elections, saying the Venezuelan people would determine the right time and that state institutions were prepared to guarantee an inclusive and transparent process.

She also thanked US President Donald Trump and his administration for their readiness to resume the course of diplomatic relations and cooperation with Venezuela.

"Today we are working solemnly through dialogue to settle our differences," Rodríguez said, citing energy, security, the fight against transnational crime and economic cooperation as areas for cooperation.

Rodríguez and Trump met in person for the first time on Tuesday on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. The meeting was held behind closed doors.

The rapprochement follows the US capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro earlier this year. Rodríguez, who had been his vice president, then took over as acting president.

Caracas and Washington have since expanded cooperation, particularly in the oil sector.

She says Venezuela is coming back

Rodríguez’s participation in the international forum also marks a milestone in Venezuela’s reintegration into global diplomacy. Addressing global leaders, she said that “the last time that two presidents of Venezuela and the United States met was in 2009.”

She added that her country is coming back strong after “setbacks” suffered this year and thanked President Donald Trump for being willing to resume relations after the U.S. military spirited her predecessor out of the country.

The other setback to which she referred: On June 24, two powerful earthquakes, magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5, struck north-central Venezuela and killed more than 6,500 people, leaving an untold number of missing and causing widespread devastation.

“I come to talk about a Venezuela whose national life has been affected by a crisis of political coexistence that disrupted the life of the nation and our interaction with the world," Rodriguez she said. “Interests alien to the common good of Venezuelans were imposed.”

Rodriguez faced a delicate balance in her speech, which needed to be addressed to both her people and the U.S. government that holds her predecessor. She thanked Trump for his willingness to resume the course of diplomatic relations and cooperation with Venezuela.

“We are working earnestly to resolve existing differences through dialogue, but above all to pave the way for cooperation in the energy sector, the promotion of security, the joint fight against transnational crime, and economic cooperation for the benefit of both peoples and our continent," she said. “Today, Venezuela is being reborn.”

Since rising to power, Rodríguez has forged a close working relationship with Trump. U.S. influence in Venezuela has grown following the lifting of sanctions against Rodríguez in April, one of several recent moves by Washington to recognize her as a legitimate authority ever since the U.S. military captured her predecessor.

Addressing some words to her people, Rodríguez said that she could not promise an “easy path,” noting that “the country’s recovery will take time.”

“Rebuilding the national soul will be our priority," she said. “We will walk united as a single nation that, after the pain, chose hope.”

Author: lyell.rebekah

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