Venezuelan opposition chief María Corina Machado instructed CBS Information she’s going to at some point be president as she pressed for a transition to electoral democracy after Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s ouster.
“I can be president when the time comes,” she instructed “Face the Nation” moderator Margaret Brennan. “However it does not matter. That must be determined in elections by the Venezuelan folks.”
Machado was banned from working towards Maduro in Venezuela’s final elections in 2024, however she threw her help behind former diplomat Edmundo González Urrutia. The U.S. and far of the worldwide neighborhood acknowledged González Urrutia because the election’s reliable winner, however Maduro remained in energy amid widespread allegations that the outcomes have been rigged.
Machado mentioned she was prevented from working in 2024 “as a result of Maduro was afraid [of] working towards me, and he thought Edmundo was not a menace, as a result of no one knew who he was.”
“And in lower than three months, we managed to [get] the entire nation supporting him, as a result of that is [a] matter of freedom,” added Machado.
It is not clear when Venezuela would possibly maintain its subsequent election. The nation remains to be run by remnants of Maduro’s authorities, together with interim President Delcy Rodriguez, at the same time as Maduro sits in a New York jail awaiting drug expenses. President Trump instructed reporters final week the present management of Venezuela has “been working with us so effectively.”
Mr. Trump was additionally initially dismissive of the thought of Machado taking energy, saying hours after Maduro’s seize, “she’s a really good lady, however she does not have the respect.”
Lower than two weeks later, Machado gave her Nobel Peace Prize medallion to Mr. Trump in recognition of what she referred to as his “historic” motion of eradicating Maduro from energy.
Mr. Trump later mentioned of Machado: “Possibly we will get her concerned not directly.”
Watch extra of Margaret Brennan’s interview with Venezuelan opposition chief María Corina Machado on “Face the Nation” on Sunday, Feb. 1. The total interview will run on CBSNews.com and on the “Face the Nation” YouTube channel.
