Next Venezuelan presidential election

Under the 1999 Constitution and a 2009 constitutional amendment, the president of Venezuela is elected for a six-year term by direct popular vote and may be re-elected indefinitely.^[1][2]

Nicolás Maduro, the outgoing Venezuelan president who was reelected to a disputed third term in 2024, was captured in Venezuela by the United States Armed Forces during a large-scale military operation and extradited to New York to face narcotics-related charges, triggering a major political and constitutional crisis.^[3][4][5] Vice-president Delcy Rodríguez was installed as acting president by Venezuela's Supreme Tribunal of Justice (TSJ), which described Maduro's situation as a "temporary absence", leaving the timing of the next presidential election unclear.^[6][7][8]

The Constitution of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, adopted in 1999, sets the presidential term at six years. Article 230 establishes the length of the term, while a 2009 constitutional amendment removed term limits for the presidency and other elected offices, allowing indefinite re-election.^[9][10] Article 231 provides that the president-elect must take office on 10 January of the first year of the term by swearing an oath before the National Assembly, or before the Supreme Tribunal of Justice when circumstances prevent inauguration before the legislature.^[11] Article 233 regulates the "absolute absence" of the president (due to death, resignation, removal by the TSJ, permanent incapacity, abandonment of office or recall by referendum). If such an absence occurs in the first four years of the term, a new presidential election must be called within 30 days and the executive vice-president assumes the presidency on an interim basis; in the last two years, the executive vice-president completes the term.^[11][12] If the president is only deemed "permanently unavailable", the executive vice-president may temporarily assume the presidency for 90 days, and—subject to the approval of the National Assembly—this interim period may be extended for up to six months.^[13]

Presidential elections were held on 28 July 2024 to elect the president for the 2025–2031 term. The CNE proclaimed Nicolás Maduro, candidate of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV), re-elected with 6,408,844 votes, corresponding to 51.95% of valid ballots, according to official results reported by Venezuelan authorities.^[14]

The opposition Unitary Platform organised a parallel vote tally based on polling-station tally sheets and published results through the website resultadosconvzla.com indicating a clear victory for opposition candidate Edmundo González.^[15] An academic analysis of the opposition's dataset concluded that the opposition tally covered more than 80% of polling stations and suggested that González had received a significantly larger share of the vote than Maduro.^[16]

Several international organisations and governments questioned the credibility of the official results and criticised the lack of detailed polling-station data and the repression of post-electoral protests.^[17][18]

On 25 May 2025, Venezuela held elections to renew all 285 seats in the National Assembly, as well as most state governorships and regional legislatures. The ruling Great Patriotic Pole alliance led by the PSUV won nearly 83% of the vote for the Assembly and 23 of 24 state governorships, amid turnout of about 43% and a divided opposition in which some factions called for a boycott.^[19][20]

Under the Constitution, deputies serve five-year terms, which implies that the following parliamentary election is due in 2030 unless early elections are called.^[21]

On 3 January 2026, United States forces carried out a large-scale operation in Venezuela that resulted in the capture of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. More than 150 aircraft were involved in the attack, and Maduro was subsequently flown to New York to face long-standing U.S. indictments on drug trafficking and weapons charges.^[22][23][24]

U.S. President Donald Trump declared that the United States would "run" Venezuela until what he termed a safe transition and warned that further strikes were possible if the new authorities did not cooperate.^[25][26] The operation's legality was widely questioned at the United Nations and by international-law experts.^[27][28]

Shortly after the operation, the Supreme Tribunal of Justice ordered executive vice-president Delcy Rodríguez to assume the presidency on an interim basis. The armed forces publicly endorsed her as acting head of state.^[29][30] Initially Delcy Rodríguez condemned the U.S. action as an "illegal kidnapping", but within days she signalled a willingness to cooperate with Washington on Venezuela's future, in a shift reported by international media.^[31][32]

The United States has stated that it does not recognize Rodríguez as a democratically elected leader and has called for a transition culminating in "free and fair elections".^[33]

Venezuelan congressman and son of Nicolás Maduro, Nicolás Maduro Guerra, declared on 27 January that elections in Venezuela are "not on the table" as his father was "kidnapped".^[34]

In an interview for Politico on 5 February, María Corina Machado indicated that elections could be held in Venezuela in 9 to 10 months, using manual voting. She said that she had not discussed about elections with Trump.^[35] National Assembly president and brother of Delcy, Jorge Rodríguez ruled out the possibility of elections in the near future in an interview for Newsmax.^[36] In an interview for NBC on February 12, Delcy Rodríguez was asked if she will hold free and fair elections, she answered "absolutely" adding it will be decided as part of the "political dialogue."^[37] Also interviewed for the NBC, US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright, speaking from Caracas, said that elections could be held in the Venezuela before the end of second presidency of Donald Trump, and added about Machado that he "listened to her in a podcast a few days ago, she was asked that question: how fast can they hold elections in Venezuela? What do you think should happen, María? And she said to get it, probably the fastest it could be done it probably takes 9 to 10 months to get there. So I think she is realistic about what the changes that need to happen. Some say we should hold elections tomorrow, those have no chances of being free and fair." and added "Ultimately what the long term political leadership is going be, it’s going to be up to Venezuelans."^[38] During a conference in Saint Kitts and Nevis with other Caribbean nations on 25 February, United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the US recognizes the need for fair, democratic elections in Venezuela, saying "We do believe that a prosperous, free Venezuela who’s governed by a legitimate government who has the interests of their people in mind could also be an extraordinary partner and asset to many of the countries represented here today."^[39] Juan Pablo Guanipa, ally of Machado and political prisoner released during a mass political prisoner release in Venezuela in 2026, said for Spanish newspaper El País, that elections are under way and that Chavismo has lost its ability to impose conditions.^[40]

The president of Venezuela is elected by direct, secret ballot in a single nationwide constituency using plurality voting (first-past-the-post).^[41] Elections are organised and supervised by the National Electoral Council (CNE), one of the five constitutionally recognised branches of government, which oversees an automated voting system with electronic machines and paper audit trails.^[42]

Article 227 of the Constitution sets eligibility criteria for presidential candidates, including being Venezuelan by birth without another nationality, at least 30 years old and with no disqualifying criminal convictions, while Article 229 bars sitting executive vice-presidents, ministers, governors and mayors from running unless they leave office beforehand.^[11]

• 2024 Venezuelan presidential election
• 2025 Venezuelan parliamentary election
• Elections in Venezuela
• Venezuelan presidential crisis