WASHINGTON, February 26. /TASS/. Venezuela need to hold elections to realize its potential, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said.
"For Venezuela to achieve its potential, which means to attract the kind of investment it needs to truly rebuild its economy and achieve its potential, it will need to legitimize its government through an election, and they know that," he said.
He cited several factors that are needed to organize votingin Venezuela. "To have elections, you need to have a number of factors. You need to have political parties that are formed. You need to have political movements. You need to have a media environment that allows people to campaign and get the word out. All of these things have to be in place. And you need to have candidates that can run," he stated.
On January 3, the United States attacked civilian and military facilities in Caracas. Trump confirmed the attack on Venezuela. He also said that Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife had been captured and taken out of the country. On January 5, the couple appeared before the US Federal Court for the Southern District of New York, where they face charges of alleged involvement in drug trafficking. Both have pleaded not guilty. Vice President Delcy Rodriguez was sworn in as Venezuela’s authorized president on January 6. Meanwhile, Trump said that Washington would "run" Venezuela in the interim.