Rubio presses Caracas over 322 political detainees as Venezuela’s election date stays open
The US Secretary of State met Venezuela’s new foreign minister in Washington, while the interim government has promised elections but set no date.
Venezuela’s election calendar is still blank, and so is the question of how many political prisoners remain behind bars. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio pressed both issues on Monday, November 2, in talks with Venezuelan Foreign Minister Oliver Blanco.
A State Department readout said Rubio urged the continued release of remaining political prisoners and reaffirmed President Donald Trump’s three-phase plan for Venezuela: stabilisation, economic recovery and political reconciliation, and democratic transition. The two also discussed progress in Venezuelan-led reconciliation talks, including institutional reforms meant to lay the groundwork for free, fair and credible elections. It was Blanco’s first US visit since interim president Delcy Rodríguez named him to the post last week, and he also met Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. Blanco said on social media that the talks covered bilateral relations, regional challenges, and energy cooperation and security.
The most recent tally from the rights group Foro Penal counted 322 political prisoners as of October 5. They include 182 civilians and 140 military personnel, among them 31 foreign nationals. 152 have been convicted and 170 have not. The group said that 1,000 or more people have been freed since US forces captured Nicolás Maduro on January 3 and that releases have slowed to a trickle. An amnesty law signed in February produced many of the releases, but hundreds were still held.
Many of those detained were arrested after the disputed July 2024 presidential election. The electoral council declared Maduro the winner despite opposition tallies suggesting otherwise, and the Carter Center said the vote could not be considered democratic. A UN fact-finding mission later described a harsh crackdown on perceived opponents.
Rubio said a week earlier that Venezuela’s electoral infrastructure must be replaced quickly. Rodríguez responded in a televised address on October 29 that there will be elections organised by a “renewed” electoral authority, with the world as witness. She gave no date or mechanism, saying the political horizon is not measured by a date on the calendar but by a sequence of objectives. Opposition leader María Corina Machado, who returned from exile on October 25, wants a vote in 2027, though she has varied the timing. A recent blueprint agreed between authorities and opposition figures for electoral reform foresees voting at some point in 2027. Third-round talks were held in Caracas on October 14 and 15.
Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, have pleaded not guilty in New York to narco-terrorism conspiracy and cocaine importation conspiracy charges, with trial set for June 1, 2027. Arguments over his motions to dismiss, which include a claim of immunity as a head of state, are scheduled for November 17. His defence has called the capture an illegal kidnapping. The Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel concluded, ahead of the raid, that the president could lawfully order it.
Source: BBC
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