The news that shook the world this January 3, 2026 — the capture and removal of Nicolás Maduro following the military intervention led by the United States — has left Venezuela at an unprecedented inflection point. After decades of authoritarianism and an institutional crisis that seemed eternal, the country faces today a power vacuum that can only be filled with one word: legitimacy.
For the transitional government that takes the helm of the Miraflores Palace in the coming hours, the clock is not only ticking but pressing. There is no room for delay or for prolonged “grace periods.” The absolute priority must be clear and decisive: Venezuela must go to the polls in February.
The imperative of immediate legitimacy
A government that arises from a rupture as drastic as the one we are living today carries a stain of fragility. Although relief runs through much of the streets of Caracas, history teaches us that power vacuums are magnets for chaos and opportunistic factions.
Calling elections for next February is not just a political measure; it is a national defense mechanism. Only a president elected by free and auditable vote will have the moral authority to:
- Reunify the Armed Forces, currently divided and on high alert.
- Negotiate the restructuring of the external debt and attract the investment necessary to tame hyperinflation.
- Guarantee full international recognition, preventing Venezuela from becoming a diplomatic pariah under a de facto government.
The Pillars of the “February Route”
So that these elections are not a sham, but the birth certificate of a new Republic, the transitional government must execute three emergency steps in the next four weeks:
1. Express Reconstitution of the CNE
The National Electoral Council must be purged of partisan allegiance and filled with technically impeccable professionals and representatives of civil society.
2. Total Opening of the Electoral Register
Millions of Venezuelans abroad, victims of the region’s largest exodus, must be able to register and vote. An election without the diaspora would be an incomplete election.
3. Unrestricted International Observation
The UN, the OAS and the European Union must be present not only on election day, but from the very first minute of the timetable, auditing every ballot machine and every record.
