‘as Soon As Possible’: Gop Hawks Want Faster Timeline For Elections In Venezuela

President Donald Trump has indicated that after his administration’s ouster of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, U.S. control of the country could drag on for years. But Venezuela hawks within his party are pushing for elections much sooner.

The “real solution” for Venezuela must include elections and a return to normalcy “as soon as possible,” Rep. Mario Díaz-Balart (R-Fla.) said in an interview, echoing similar statements from his fellow Florida Republican Rep. Carlos Giménez earlier in the week. Gimenez told CNN on Thursday that he wasn’t necessarily aligned with Trump’s timeline and that a transition should happen “in terms of months, not years.”

A delay, they warn, risks further entrenching what they describe as an illegitimate authoritarian regime in Caracas.

While the most vocal advocates for a faster timeline are Republican hawks from Florida who represent large Venezuelan immigrant communities, the concern isn’t limited to them.

Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.), a frequent critic of the president, stopped short of offering a prescription for when elections should occur in Venezuela. But the Nebraska Republican said it “should be soon.”

“We should be trying to get a legitimate leader in Venezuela that 70 percent of the people voted for, not an illegitimate vice president that was not rightfully elected,” Bacon said, adding that he thinks interim President Delcy Rodríguez shouldn’t lead the country.

That’s a sharp break from Trump’s latest statements. In an interview with The New York Times published on Thursday, Trump said “only time will tell” how long the U.S. will maintain oversight of Venezuela. Asked to give an estimate for how long the U.S. might remain in control — three months, six months, a year, or longer — Trump responded: “I would say much longer.”

Those comments have been echoed by senior administration officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who have argued the country needs to stabilize before elections can occur.

It's just the latest sign of fissure within the GOP over Venezuela policy, which has already proven to be a pressure point within the party. Five Senate Republicans on Thursday broke ranks to support a measure that would curb Trump's ability to take further military action in the country, drawing the president’s ire.

Some of those calling for quick elections are threading the needle carefully so they don’t come across like they’re fully breaking with Trump or criticizing the military operation to remove Maduro.

Díaz-Balart acknowledged that the core issue of cartel presence in the country remains, and stressed that there “has to be a process” that includes sufficient security for the opposition.

Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) pressed for speed but wouldn’t give a timeline.

“I think we’re making progress,” he said of the administration’s efforts to exert pressure on the current Venezuelan government. But Maduro’s government apparatus still remains largely in place, Lawler noted, which could complicate the transition process.

“Ideally, it would happen in the next few months, but this is going to be a continuing fluid situation,” he said.

Rodríguez, formerly vice president under Maduro, was sworn into office hours after her boss’ capture. The administration is tolerating Rodríguez’s ascension to power as a necessary step to prevent the country from descending into sectarian chaos, as worries still exist in the U.S. government that the Venezuelan opposition may not yet be able to control the country’s powerful armed forces.

Rubio and Trump emphasized in the days after the capture of Maduro that elections are the final step in the administration’s plans for Venezuela, coming after efforts to shore up the country’s economy.

"They would not even know how to have an election right now, the country has become third world,” Trump said in a Fox News interview that aired Thursday. “We are going to rebuild the oil, the oil infrastructure, we will be in charge of it. It's going to do great. We will make a lot of money and we are going to take it from there, but we will rebuild the country and ultimately they will have elections."

Venezuela’s constitution requires elections to occur shortly after the death, resignation or removal of a president. The hope among advocates for democracy in Venezuela is that in a future election, popular opposition leader and Nobel laureate María Corina Machado would be able to run for president in her own right.

But in allowing Rodríguez to take power, the country’s National Assembly also invoked a law allowing her to rule by decree and postponing elections for 90 days. The National Assembly retains the right to extend that state of emergency indefinitely.

Some Democrats warned against trusting Rodríguez, a Chavez and Maduro loyalist who previously served as the country’s oil and foreign minister.

“I’ve been there and met with her. She’s a hardliner and so I would be very wary of her promises,” said Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), who has long worked on Venezuela issues.