MIAMI.- The recovery of the Venezuelan oil industry and the arrival of new investments for that country is the focus identified by President Donald Trump as a priority, when referring to the imminent holding of elections in the South American nation.
In this context, Trump considers that it is still “too early” to hold elections in Venezuela and has put the focus of his strategy on the economic recovery of the Caribbean country, especially on the reactivation of the strategic industry in the country with the largest reserves of this resource on the planet.
“Right now it is a very delicate issue,” Trump said in an interview published this Thursday by Time magazine, when asked about the possibility of calling elections in Venezuela, a process that the democratic opposition and a good part of the population demand as part of a transition, after on January 3, the United States extracted and arrested Nicolás Maduro, who was illegitimately at the head of the country after appropriating the presidential elections won by a majority by Edmundo González Urrutia.
Trump in the interview highlighted the advances in oil matters and the arrival of large international companies to the country as part of the new stage that Venezuela is going through after the capture of the deposed dictator by US forces.
The US president referred to the relationship he maintains with the interim manager Delcy Rodríguez, who was part of the Chavista leadership before Maduro’s capture and defended the White House’s decision to keep those who were in charge of the country in office before the capture of the deposed dictator.
The president explained that he opted for this strategy to avoid a power vacuum, in contrast to what happened in Iraq after the US military intervention during the administration of former President George W. Bush.
“I did the opposite. I didn’t fire anyone and Delcy was the one in charge. We worked well together,” he said.
Trump indicated that he will talk with Rodríguez about holding elections, although he insisted that he considers it premature to move forward at this time.
“I think it’s too early. It’s too green,” he said.
“Oil industry”
“Exxon and Chevron, all the big oil companies are moving in. We’re making a lot of money, but Venezuela is also making a lot of money, and we have total control of everything,” Trump explained.
In his opinion, the participation of large oil companies will increase production and generate greater income for both Venezuela and the United States.
“We are attracting the big oil companies. We are extracting a huge amount of oil. We will soon fill our national reserves, the national strategic reserves,” he added.
Economic stability before the elections
The statements of the tenant of the White House reflect a strategy that places the recovery of the energy sector and the generation of income in Venezuela as central elements of the new stage after the departure of Maduro.
The US administration seeks to promote the participation of oil companies and take advantage of Venezuelan energy potential, while keeping open the possibility of subsequently moving towards an electoral process.
Trump affirmed that he will discuss with Rodríguez the conditions for future elections, although he did not offer a date for their holding.
The debate now focuses on how the recovery of oil production, the arrival of foreign investment and the stabilization of Venezuelan finances can contribute to generating the conditions for a future political and electoral transition.
