'There will be elections in Venezuela,' interim leader tells UN

Venezuela's interim leader Delcy Rodriguez thanked US President Donald Trump for restoring diplomatic ties and told the United Nations on Wednesday that "there will be elections" in the Latin American country.

Rodriguez replaced president Nicolas Maduro following his ouster by US forces in January, and she has served as a pliant ally to Washington since then.

Addressing the UN General Assembly in New York, she thanked the Trump administration "for their willingness to resume the path of diplomatic relations and cooperation with Venezuela."

"I want to state this very clearly before this General Assembly: there will be elections in Venezuela," she added, without mentioning a timeline.

She did not refer to the US raid on Caracas that ousted her predecessor either, instead focusing on the transition to a "stage of democracy" in Venezuela.

Many Venezuelans were hopeful that ongoing, US-backed political transition talks between the interim government and parts of the opposition would lead to a democratic election.

But those hopes were dashed somewhat in early September when Trump, speaking shortly after striking a mega oil deal with Caracas, brushed off the notion of a vote in the near future.

Rodriguez echoed those comments at the time.

Her trip to New York has featured meetings with International Monetary Fund executives and several heads of state, including Trump.

The last Venezuelan leader to address the UN General Assembly was Maduro in 2018.