Venezuela's Rodriguez promises elections in transition to 'full democracy'

NEW YORK/CARACAS — Venezuela's interim President Delcy Rodriguez told the U.N. General Assembly on Wednesday that the country would hold elections as part of a transition to "full democracy," but did not give a specific date for the vote. "I want to make this very clear at this General Assembly: there will be elections in Venezuela," said Rodriguez, who came to power after American forces captured then-President Nicolas Maduro in a January raid. Rodriguez said the government had initiated talks with the opposition and would guarantee the participation of all political forces. She added that national institutions were being prepared for the electoral process. "Venezuela has initiated a process of democratic transformation for its rebirth, an orderly, institutional, and verifiable process, to build a country that is freer for all, more prosperous, and more reconciled with itself," said Rodriguez. Venezuelan and U.S. authorities have previously emphasized the need for an election, yet no date — not even a tentative one — has been set. The opposition views the selection of an autonomou