María Corina Machado supports the US plan to hold elections in 2027: 'The date of the elections is the date of liberation'
At her first press conference after returning to Caracas, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate stated that the Trump administration's transition is irreversible and questioned the lack of transparency surrounding Washington's oil agreement.
María Corina Machado, at a press conference in Caracas on October 29.
Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate María Corina Machado held her first press conference from Caracas after ten months in exile.
At the press conference held at Andrés Bello Catholic University, the leader expressed her explicit support for the three-phase plan outlined by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, asserting that the call for presidential elections in 2027 will mark the country's definitive turning point
"The democratic transition is irreversible and will be orderly, peaceful, and will address the urgent needs of a country that is suffering enormously," Machado told national and international media.
The leader emphasized that the Department of State's plan includes clear steps such as restructuring the Supreme Court of Justice and renewing the National Electoral Council, and noted that "the date of the elections is the date of liberation."
Machado also expressed gratitude for the military action on January 3, ordered by President Donald Trump's administration, which led to the capture of Nicolás Maduro.
"Thanks to your vision, your courage, and your actions on January 3, the opened the doors to freedom," the leader stated, while assuring that in the country's democratic future, "there will be no repetition. Never ever will a Venezuelan suffer state-sponsored terrorism."
Clandestine return and criticism of the oil agreement’s lack of transparency
Machado declined to provide logistical details about her re-entry into the country to protect her security team, saying her inner circle carried out an autonomous operation after multiple failed attempts.
As for the U.S. administration's decisions, the opposition leader distanced herself from the energy agreement under which Venezuela will transfer 20% of its oil reserves to the United States. "This agreement does not reflect the level of transparency that Venezuelan society demands," she argued.
Despite her skepticism about the trade agreement, the leader emphasized that the relationship with Washington remains within a framework of "absolute respect" and ruled out directly joining the dialogue between the 2015 National Assembly and the interim administration, although she expressed interest in that forum succeeding in restructuring public powers.
Delcy Rodríguez responds with economic announcements and a promise of elections
Hours before Machado's speech, the regime's interim president, Delcy Rodríguez, issued a rare recorded message on national television to mitigate the political fallout caused by the opposition leader's return.
Rodriguez announced that she had ordered a technical assessment of non-essential state assets to return them to their former owners or put them up for bid to the private sector, in an effort to provide legal certainty for investments.
At the same time, the interim president responded to Machado's protest by asserting that the street protests "could have been avoided" and reiterated that her administration will call for general elections.
"There will be elections with the world as a witness," Rodriguez asserted, opening the door to a process supervised by the international community amid growing domestic and international pressure.
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