Washington, 05 January (H.S.): US Secretary of State Marco Rubio dismissed speculation on imminent Venezuelan elections as premature at this point during Sunday appearances on NBC's Meet the Press and CBS's Face the Nation, redirecting focus to compelling Caracas's holdover leadership—under interim President Delcy Rodríguez—to rectify entrenched crises persisting post-Nicolás Maduro's Saturday capture by American special forces.
What we are focused on right now is all of the problems we had when Maduro was there. We still have those problems in terms of them needing to be addressed. We are going to give people an opportunity to address those challenges and those problems, Rubio articulated, underscoring policy coercion over electoral timelines amid Maduro's detention ahead of today's Manhattan federal court arraignment on narco-terrorism charges.
This comes a day after President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago vow to run Venezuela elicited perceptions of a U-turn, with Rubio clarifying no appetite for direct administration but retention of levers like oil sanctions to enforce compliance from Maduro's allies, who control key institutions despite the raid's toll—including a large part of the ousted leader's security slain, per Defence Minister Vladimir Padrino.
Institutional Entrenchment Persists
Rubio highlighted the socialist regime's lingering dominance over judiciary, assembly, and military—bolstered by Padrino's nationwide mobilization and Supreme Court nod to Rodríguez—necessitating pragmatic engagement over hasty polls that could entrench hardliners.
Satellite imagery reveals Saturday's precision strikes ravaged Maduro's Caracas bunker, La Guaira port, and airbase, yet civilian casualties in Catia La Mar underscore the operation's human cost without derailing loyalist command.
Global Echoes and Indian Dissent
India's Left parties escalated protests Sunday at Jantar Mantar, condemning the incursion as UN Charter defiance and rallying for nationwide action against perceived US imperialism, aligning with China, Russia, and Latin bloc rebukes.
Opposition diaspora pushes for Nobel laureate María Corina Machado falter under Rubio's realism, as ex-CIA veteran John McLaughlin warns of nebulous post-raid trajectories.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
