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US President Donald Trump on Wednesday (local time) said Venezuela is not ready yet to hold elections, noting that the country needed more time following the end of what he described as a powerful, ruthless dictatorship under then-President Nicolas Maduro.
Maduro earlier this year was captured and detained by US forces during a pre-dawn operation in Venezuela along with his wife, Cilia Flores. Speaking to reporters at the Oval Office, Trump, when asked what was preventing him from asking Venezuela to set a firm date for elections, said, "I just don't think they're ready yet. You know it's very new. We took them out of a dictatorship, and we're getting along great with the government." The US President also praised Delcy Rodrguez, who was appointed as the acting President after Maduro's capture, saying she was doing a very, very good job and was very highly respected". He said both the United States and Venezuela wanted elections but maintained that the country was not prepared for them yet. Delcy wants it. But they're not ready yet, Trump said, adding that Washington looked forward to elections soon. The remarks come against the backdrop of a major US operation inside Venezuela earlier this year. The Trump administration captured and detained Maduro and Flores during a pre-dawn operation in January and subsequently transferred them to a US naval vessel before being flown to New York for indictment. The US military actions had drawn scrutiny from legal experts, who have raised concerns about potential violations of international law. Trump, meanwhile, defended the transition in Venezuela, saying the US had removed the country from what he called a very powerful, very nasty dictatorship under which many people had been imprisoned. You know those people have largely been released from jail, they were political prisoners, Trump said. He indicated that elections remained the goal but suggested that the transition required additional time before Venezuelan authorities could establish a firm electoral timetable. They're just not going to be ready for it yet, but soon. We look forward to doing it and soon, Trump added. (ANI)
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