Marco Rubio stresses need for free elections in Venezuela

Remarks by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio indicated that economic reconstruction and a democratic transition are essential for Venezuela's future, according to the outlet El Estímulo, which reported on September 29, 2026.

In an interview with Fox News and a meeting with the press in New York, Rubio said the South American country needs to hold free and fair elections, while warning of the structural challenges stemming from decades of economic decline, corruption and the impact of the recent earthquake that hit the coastal region.

The U.S. official stressed that no elected government can inherit a social catastrophe without a simultaneous effort to stabilize public finances and restructure the sovereign debt. He also said recovery requires reviving spaces for political participation and independent media.