A senior State Department official outlined the U.S.-backed plan Monday, saying Venezuela must establish the conditions for a credible election before setting a date. The proposal calls for replacing the country’s 32 Supreme Tribunal of Justice magistrates by mid-December and subsequently restructuring the National Electoral Council.

“You have to create the architecture for a credible election before you can actually call for one or have one,” the official said during a press briefing.

Under the plan, the restructured electoral council would lose its authority to disqualify candidates and political parties, focusing instead on administering elections and counting votes. The administration argues that holding an election before those safeguards are in place would risk repeating past disputes over the legitimacy of Venezuela’s electoral process.

“They can set up polling places and do another election next month, but it won't be a fair election, and it won't be a free election,” the official said.

Once the proposed reforms are completed, interim President Delcy Rodríguez would declare the presidency permanently vacant, triggering a six-month constitutional timetable for elections. The administration has also identified economic stability, political freedoms and cooperation with interim authorities as important elements of a peaceful transition.

The proposal comes amid growing pressure on Washington to establish a clear timetable for restoring democratic government. Opposition leader María Corina Machado returned to Venezuela on Sunday, renewing attention on the opposition’s demands for competitive elections and political freedoms. The Trump administration did not endorse her return or coordinate its timing.

Machado has argued that Venezuela’s transition must reflect the will of voters, including guarantees for competitive elections and the release of political prisoners. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has also advocated a democratic transition, but the administration’s broader approach has prioritized economic stability alongside political change.

That emphasis has drawn criticism from Republican lawmakers who argue that economic investment cannot substitute for democratic legitimacy. Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas and Rick Scott of Florida, along with Rep. Carlos Giménez of Florida, have pressed the administration to establish an election date.

Rubio, meanwhile, has cautioned against assuming that street demonstrations alone can secure a democratic outcome. “You're not going to street-protest your way into a democracy,” he told reporters, without naming Machado. He also warned that efforts to derail the negotiated transition could undermine the country’s prospects for democratic government.

The debate over elections is closely linked to the Trump administration’s Venezuelan oil agreement, which has raised questions about transparency and the prospects for attracting major foreign investment.

The agreement involves North American Blue Energy Partners, led by businessman Alejandro Betancourt, whose history of money-laundering investigations has attracted scrutiny. Betancourt has not been criminally charged and denies wrongdoing.

Although the U.S. government has secured a 35% stake in the venture, participation by major international oil companies remains uncertain. No major U.S. oil producer has signed a development contract under the agreement, raising questions about whether the initiative can attract substantial investment before Venezuela establishes a government with democratic legitimacy.

The administration now faces the challenge of balancing economic stabilization with demands for a credible path to elections. The proposed judicial and electoral changes would be an initial step, but the timing of a presidential vote will depend on whether the planned reforms are completed and the constitutional process is triggered.