Interim President Delcy Rodriguez said Venezuela must change its legal and electoral institutions before setting a presidential voting schedule, leaving the election date open, Anadolu Ajansı reported Thursday.
Rodriguez said elections would be held under the Constitution but gave no timetable, the outlet reported. She said the country’s political future could not be judged by a date, adding, “The political future of the country is not measured by a date on the calendar.”
She said the changes should include revisions to legislation, stronger guarantees for political participation and a renewed electoral authority. Rodriguez also called for an orderly transition and cautioned against sudden political shifts, Anadolu Ajansı reported.
The interim president instructed police agencies to require a formal court order before detaining anyone, according to the report.
Her address preceded a scheduled media appearance by opposition leader Maria Corina Machado. Machado’s party, Vente Venezuela, said she would speak to reporters. Machado’s return to Venezuela on Oct. 25 came as the interim government had yet to set an election date.
