{
  "id": 17292873,
  "title": "Venezuela Opens Race for Supreme Court Seats",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/30/venezuela-opens-race-for-supreme-court-seats",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-30T21:24:11.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Rio Times",
    "slug": "the-rio-times",
    "url": "https://www.riotimesonline.com/venezuela-opens-race-supreme-court-seats-2026/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Venezuela's National Assembly has begun the process of selecting a new Supreme Court, with approximately 100 individuals expressing interest by Thursday, October 29, 2026. The Supreme Court, or TSJ, is the body that opposition parties allege played a role in keeping President Nicolás Maduro in power following the 2024 election. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has emphasized that constitutional reforms are necessary before elections can be called.\n\nThe Judicial Nominations Committee, comprised of 12 representatives from civil society and 11 members of the National Assembly, opened applications on Wednesday, October 28, receiving a total of 100 applications by Thursday. Of these, 83 candidates are for judge positions, 13 for inspector general of the courts, and 4 for the director of the National School of the Judiciary. Candidates must be Venezuelan nationals with no party affiliation, no close family ties to senior state officials, and must provide a sworn statement confirming their lack of party membership. Those who applied in the previous rounds in May and June only need to confirm their continued interest in writing.\n\nApplications are due for submission on Wednesday, November 11, 2026. The opposition claims the present court supports the government and endorsed Maduro's 2024 victory, which they consider fraudulent. President Maduro is currently facing trial in the United States, and his former vice president, Delcy Rodríguez, is currently leading the country as acting president.\n\nThe court renewal is part of an agreement between the government and a segment of the opposition, reached in August through talks backed by the United States. Prediction markets, such as Polymarket and Kalshi, indicate a 36.0% probability of scheduling a presidential election by March 31, 2027, and a 9.5% probability by December 31, 2026, suggesting no imminent vote. These platforms convert real-money bets into live probabilities, which are closely monitored by US investors, campaigns, and newsrooms.\n\nA credible court could reduce legal risks for Venezuelan bonds and US oil companies operating in the country, while a court still aligned with the government would maintain high legal risks. Venezuelan Americans in Florida closely follow this process as a test of Venezuela's ability to hold a credible election. Travelers should continue adhering to State Department advice, as the current process does not alter existing travel advisories. The selection of 32 Supreme Court magistrates has not yet determined how many current judges will step down, nor the schedule for candidate interviews, nor whether the final list will include judges from the existing court. The committee may take additional days to review the numerous applications, and the final vote date remains uncertain.",
  "summary": "Venezuela's National Assembly opened applications for new Supreme Court judges on 28 October 2026, and 100 people had applied by 29 October. The post Venezuela Opens Race for Supreme Court Seats appeared first on The Rio Times .",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}