Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado vowed to return to Venezuela as soon as possible and rejected the authority of interim President Delcy Rodríguez, who was backed by the United States after the removal of Nicolás Maduro from power. Machado, speaking from an undisclosed location in an interview with Fox News, stated that her movement was prepared to win a free election. She also commended Donald Trump for his role in Maduro's ouster.
The shift in leadership followed Maduro's detention on Saturday, an event that led many, both within Venezuela and internationally, to anticipate Machado assuming control. However, Trump's administration opted to support Rodríguez, Maduro's former vice-president, instead.
"I'm planning to go back to Venezuela as soon as possible," Machado said in the interview. "We believe that this transition should move forward. We won an election in 2024."
The United States' decision to back Rodríguez has sparked debate and uncertainty regarding the future of Venezuela's political landscape. While the Trump administration has framed the move as a necessary step toward stability, critics argue that it undermines the democratic process and disregards the will of the Venezuelan people as expressed in the 2024 elections.
Machado's supporters view her as the legitimate leader of the opposition and believe she should be given the opportunity to lead a transitional government. Her return to Venezuela could potentially galvanize the opposition movement and increase pressure on the interim government to hold free and fair elections.
The situation remains fluid, and the next steps taken by Machado, the interim government, and the international community will be crucial in determining the future of Venezuela. The U.S. State Department has yet to release a comprehensive statement explaining the rationale behind supporting Rodríguez over Machado, but officials have indicated that the decision was made in consultation with regional allies and was based on a pragmatic assessment of the current political realities in Venezuela.
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