Rubio: Venezuela’s Electoral Infrastructure Must Be Replaced Before an Election

Secretary of ‌State Marco Rubio told reporters on Monday that Venezuela’s electoral ‌infrastructure had to be replaced before an election was held, alleging it was equipped for rigging polls.

Rubio said that, unlike the Biden administration regarding Venezuela’s 2024 elections, he would not allow elections in Venezuela to go ahead using the current infrastructure, which he said “was designed by the Maduro regime to rig elections.”

“So, that infrastructure has to be replaced in order for these elections to be valid,” Rubio said.

The secretary of state was speaking to reporters by phone ⁠a day after opposition leader María Corina Machado returned to Venezuela for the first time since U.S. forces captured the country’s former leader, Nicolás Maduro, in ‌January, ⁠and took him to New York to face trial on federal narco-terrorism charges.

Machado, who was prevented from challenging Maduro for the presidency in 2024, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in October 2025 “for her tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela.”

Edmundo González, then the opposition candidate, won the July 2024 election by a wide margin before the Venezuelan National Electoral Council declared Maduro the winner.

Rubio said that it was not possible to have a legitimate election in Venezuela when the National Electoral Council was “controlled by people loyal to one side, with the power to decide that certain so-and-so can’t run for election,” he said.

Venezuelan Supreme Court ‘Fully Politicized’

“How can you have a legitimate election in Venezuela when you have a supreme court that is fully politicized and is going to rule that anything the regime wants is legal and allowed to do?” Rubio asked.

“You’ve got to change the infrastructure of the elections, not in 10 years, not in five years, not in two years; it needs to happen quickly under the timelines that we’ve established.

“I think we’re making real progress ​in that regard. But if anybody tries to derail ​that process, ​they’re ‌doing a great harm to Venezuela.”

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado (C) arrives at a church in Lara, Venezuela, after nearly a year abroad, on Oct. 25, 2026. Vente Venezuela Press/Handout via Reuters

Machado is lining up to challenge Maduro’s former vice president, Delcy Rodríguez, who became the country’s interim leader after he was ousted and has agreed to several deals with U.S. companies.

At the White House on Oct. 25, when asked about Machado’s return, Trump said he knew nothing about it and indicated that he was happy with Rodríguez.

“She’s a very nice woman,” Trump said of Machado. “But we’re doing really well in Venezuela.”

Trump has repeatedly praised Rodríguez for her cooperation with the United States.

Rodríguez said her government had begun talks with the opposition and would guarantee all political forces a role in elections, though she did not specify a date for a poll.

Reporters also asked Rubio about Machado’s decision to return to Venezuela.

“We’re well aware that she wanted to go back,” Rubio said, adding that the State Department spoke with interim authorities in Caracas weeks ago and said Machado should be allowed to return and could fly into the country’s main international airport.

But instead of flying into Caracas airport, Machado entered Venezuela elsewhere and traveled by car for eight hours before arriving in the capital, on Sunday night.

“My understanding is when she entered yesterday, and she’s gone through the country, and she had no issues and no problems, no problems getting in and no problems once she’s been in,” Rubio said.

Reuters contributed to this report.