Uruguay rules out re-establishing relations with Venezuela as long as Delcy Rodríguez remains in command

Uruguayan Chancellor Mario Lubetkin stated that Uruguay will not re-establish diplomatic relations with Venezuela as long as Delcy Rodríguez remains in charge of the Executive.

Lubetkin claimed that the capture of Nicolás Maduro by the United States on January 3, 2026 and the subsequent appointment of Rodríguez as President in charge do not solve the legitimacy problem of the Venezuelan authorities, and demanded elections with results supported by independent justice.

Uruguay broke its ties with Caracas in 2024 after considering the July 2024 presidential elections to be fraudulent, and maintains that position under the government of President Yamandu Orsi.

Position of the Uruguayan Chancellor

During an interview with the Brazilian daily Folha de S. Paulo, in the framework of the UN General Assembly in September in New York, Lubetkin reiterated that the capture of Maduro and the arrival of Rodríguez to power did not change the origin of political power in Venezuela.

“A president as illegitimate as he is,” said the Chancellor, recalling that Uruguay questioned the Venezuelan presidential elections of July 2024, denounced as fraudulent by the opposition.

Conditions for standardisation

The Uruguayan government established that any approach to Caracas is conditional on the holding of democratic elections and the recognition of its results by independent judicial institutions.

Lubetkin added that, once those conditions were met, Uruguay would be ready to immediately re-establish its relations with the elected authorities.

Response from the Venezuelan government

The Acting Chancellor of Venezuela, Felix Plasencia, responded through his X-account by describing Lubetkin’s statements as an “unacceptable intrusion” and rejected what he described as positions contrary to Venezuela’s sovereignty and self-determination.

Plasencia defended the political process led by the Rodríguez administration and held that decisions on the future of the country are exclusively for Venezuelans, in accordance with the Constitution.

Context of the diplomatic rupture

Uruguay and Venezuela interrupted their diplomatic relations following the presidential elections of July 28, 2024, when the National Electoral Council proclaimed the re-election of Nicolás Maduro without publishing verifiable results.

The opposition, led by María Corina Machado, rejected the official result and defended the victory of his candidate, Edmundo González Urrutia, on the basis of electoral records collected by his witnesses.

The dispute triggered protests in different regions of Venezuela, followed by a wave of arrests and allegations of human rights violations.

Electoral record and capture of Maduro

On January 3, 2026, U.S. forces captured Nicolás Maduro, which led to the installation of an administration headed by Delcy Rodríguez as President-in-Charge.

Despite this change, Uruguay maintains its demand for an electoral solution that guarantees legitimacy and the observance of democratic norms.