US House Speaker Mike Johnson says Venezuela should hold elections soon to stabilise the country, while Democrats express scepticism over the operation.
WASHINGTON: US House Speaker Mike Johnson said Venezuela should hold elections soon following the toppling of President Nicolas Maduro.
Johnson made the remarks after a briefing for lawmakers from Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth.
“I expect that there will be an election called in Venezuela,” said Johnson, the top Republican in Congress.
He added the election should happen “in short order” so the country’s economy and stability can be maintained.
Johnson stated he did not expect the United States to send troops to Venezuela, a possibility President Donald Trump had not ruled out publicly.
The US had long described Maduro as illegitimate after elections observers said were riddled with irregularities.
Following the operation that captured Maduro, Trump said the US would secure its interests, including access to oil, by working with interim leader Delcy Rodriguez.
Trump also dismissed opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, previously championed by Washington.
In a Sunday interview, Secretary of State Rubio had called discussion of elections “premature at this point.”
Johnson defended the legality of the operation and the lack of prior notice to Congress, which holds the constitutional power to declare war.
“We are not at war. We do not have US armed forces in Venezuela and we are not occupying that country,” Johnson said.
He added the US did not expect troops on the ground or direct involvement beyond coercing the interim government.
Democrats emerged from the briefing sceptical of the administration’s actions.
Top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer said regime change and nation-building “always ends up hurting the United States.”
“I left the briefing feeling that it would again,” Schumer said, noting more questions were raised than answered.
Representative Gregory Meeks, a senior Democrat, suggested the timing of the attack was suspicious and meant to divert attention from domestic issues like healthcare costs.
